Lights and Sounds
by Light Catastrophe
Summary: The music is all around us. All you have to do is listen. Sasunaru. Mpreg. OC. Companion to Looking In and Always You.
1. Awake and Dreaming

Lights and Sounds

By Light Catastrophe

Chapter one: Awake and Dreaming

Rating: T (for now)

Warnings: slash, yaoi, mpreg (perhaps more to come)

Disclaimer: I own several of these characters – all of the children – but I do not own any of the adults.

Author's babblings: Okay, I know I said I was going to be working on The Light Side of Me, but I got really inspired for this story. Basically, in this fic, everyone will get tied together through the children of all the main Naruto characters. Please read this. In my opinion this one is the best in this series. All the chapters will be named after musical pieces. Oh and I got the summary of this from the movie August Rush and also got some of my inspiration from that movie although I started writing this before I saw the movie. If you haven't seen it… SEE IT! It's amazing! I made all of the characters older to make it go with the story better. So Destin is a freshman in high school. Here are the ages: Destin: 14 (nearly 15); Kira: 8; Naruto: 33; and Sasuke: 34.

**Destin's point of view**

_Sometimes, the world tries to knock it out of you. But I believe in music the way that some people believe in fairy tales… The music is all around us. All you have to do is listen._

_-August Rush_

Kohona Academy: according the huge sign outside, this was to be my new home. Dad stopped the car outside the main, large, elaborately decorated building. No one could be seen outside. Perhaps they were all in class. Yes, I saw them now, up in the windows. Before we got out of the car, Dad placed his hand on my arm and said, "If anyone asks who your mother is it would be best not to tell them."

I nodded. Always, I wondered what the story was behind my birth. They never told me. I knew it wasn't normal for men to give birth. One day they would tell me – or I would find out for myself.

We walked up to the big front doors. I opened them to reveal a long hallway, completely vacant of human life. Soon though, I knew, the bell would ring and students would rush out, eager to talk to friends before their next class began. Our feet padded along the marble floor, echoing off the walls. Finally, we came across a door that read: Principal's Office. Dad peered through the long windows framing the door. A flash of recognition crossed his face. "This is where I leave you," he said, wrapping me in a hug. I inclined my head, not questioning him. With one last squeeze, he pulled away and strode down the hall without looking back.

Sighing deeply, I pushed through the door and over threshold. A secretary with wide, caring eyes greeted me. "Oh, you must be Destin."

"Yes," I mumbled, chewing on my bottom lip, a nervous habit I never knew I had before.

"The principal is waiting for you right through there," she said, motioning to her right. Nodding my thank you, I followed her instructions and found myself standing front of a short, red-haired man who appeared to be about my parents' age. He looked up from his desk, which seemed rather enormous for a man on his stature. His eyebrows raised into a fringe of bangs. "Hello, Destin," he said, holding out his hand to me. "I'm principal Gaara." There was a vibe I was getting from this man that didn't settle well in my stomach. Perhaps it was the sneer that spread across his features when he said, "So you are the first child of Sasuke Uchiha. I cannot believe that man ever settled down with a family. He was always a brooding loner."

My fists clenched and I felt anger rise in my throat. I wouldn't let this man get to me. "Can I have my schedule and my dorm number?"

Gaara laughed as he handed me some papers. As I left the room, I heard him mutter, "Like father, like son."

As soon as I was safely in the hallway again, I opened the papers to reveal a map of the school. The campus seemed to be very large and divided into two: General Education and Music Academy, with shared dormitories in between. Then I came to the sheet with my dorm assignment on it. My heart seemed to stop beating in my ribcage.

I had to share a room with another boy.

I didn't know how I could have been so naïve as to think otherwise. Of course I would have to share a room. Tears sprung to my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away. This was just another boy my age; he wouldn't hurt me; he didn't know me.

The lawn between the buildings crunched beneath my feet, frost still clinging to the blades of grass. I pulled my coat closer around me and continued to shuffle through the papers Gaara had given me. Instead of a schedule, I found a letter.

_Mr. Destin Uchiha,_

_In order for us to find where you best fit in this prestigious academy, you are required to take a test. It will have two parts: academic and musical._

_As you may already know, this school is actually two separate schools: one for general education and one for advanced music. Assuming you do well on the test, upon becoming part of the Music Academy, you will be given a different uniform._

_Each school is divided up into five groups: A through E, group A students being at the top of the class, group E being at the bottom. You will be placed accordingly after your test results come in._

_Please show up for your test tomorrow at 8 a.m. in the auditorium. _

_Sincerely, _

_The Board of Trustees_

By the time I finished the letter, I found myself in front of the boy's dormitory. I stuffed the papers in my coat pocket and pushed my way inside. There was no one there, but I figured I could find my way. Rubbing my hands together in an attempt to warm them, I ascended the old, squeaky staircase. The place was fairly simple to navigate and I soon found myself in front of a door with two names on it: Kei and Destin – no last names.

Using the key I had been given I opened the door to reveal a fairly fancy room with two canopied beds, two closets, two desks, a large window, and an attached bathroom. One side was already occupied: neatly-made bed, tidy desk, clothes folded and in a stack on the bed. At least I wouldn't be rooming with a slob. My bags were already on my bed. Without bothering to move them, I crawled on top of the downy comforter and fell into an exhausted sleep.

The next thing I knew I was being shaken awake by someone with strong hands and nice-smelling hair. I could tell he was handsome before I even opened my eyes to look at his face. His voice was a soft, gentle melody drifting into my ears: "Wake up."

So I opened my eyes and found myself staring at a tall, blonde boy with eyes so deep and green it was as though you could be sucked right into them and never need nor want to return to the harshness of reality. "You slept through dinner," he said, pointing to a plate of food. "I thought since it is your first night here I'd bring you some, but don't expect it to happen again." I thought I would be afraid of him, but there was just something… something about him that was comforting… familiar – as though he hadn't had the most amazing life either. He stood there for a moment before plopping down on his bed and taking off his shoes. He had rather large feet, I noticed – well, at least compared to mine. "You sure you're a boy?" he asked suddenly.

"Yes," I said automatically, blushing a bit.

"Oh, so you do talk. I was wondering if maybe they had paired me up with a mute." I shook my head and reached for the plate of food still sitting on my desk, my stomach growling after so many hours without food. The boy laughed. "Well, you certainly don't eat like a girl. My name is Kei by the way."

"Destin," I said after swallowing a mouthful of food. He rolled his eyes and opened his backpack, pulling out a book and lounging back on his pillows. "What group are you in?" I asked, curiously.

Sighing, he sat up and looked me in the eyes. "I'm in Group A from the Music Academy. I'm number one in our class." My eyes must have widened because he chuckled and then asked, "What are you?"

"I-I don't know yet," I said, shoving another bit of food in my mouth. "What instrument do you play?"

He groaned. "I sing and play the violin. Now, do you mind? I'm trying to finish my book."

"Sorry," I muttered, eating the last of my dinner and then settling onto my bed. What an unusual guy. My senses were reeling because of him. Usually people were so easy for me to read, but Kei… he was different – like he had trained himself to be reserved around people. I noticed his uniform was white, unlike my black ones, and had a large letter 'A' embroidered on the chest pocket. His sleeves were rolled up, the shirt not completely buttoned up, revealing a cross necklace and a smooth chest.

After my stomach settled a bit, I went about unpacking. Despite the fact Dad had a lot of money, I had never been spoiled as a child, so I didn't have much to unpack and it only took me about half an hour.

"I would have though the son of Sasuke Uchiha might have a few more possessions than you do," Kei said from behind me.

I replied by saying, "So long as I have music I don't need anything else. If you listen, all around, there is constant music. All you have to do is open your ears."

He seemed a bit surprised at my response, but mumbled softly, "Well said."

That night, I had trouble sleeping. There were so many new noises to get used to: the constant drone of city traffic; the sounds of students in the hallways; the buzz of the lamp outside my window; Kei's breathing. All my life, I listened to the same noises and now I was bombarded with such a variety of new ones I thought I might just lose my mind. Also, and though I didn't want to admit it, I was scared – scared Kei might do something if I allowed myself to drift off.

Somehow, apparently, I managed to fall asleep because I woke up to the annoying screeching sound of the alarm clock going off in my ear. On the other side of the room, Kei remained soundly sleeping. Inhaling deeply, I dragged myself out of bed and into our bathroom. I found myself thankful this school had so much money so each room had its own bathroom or else I think I would have gone an entire year without showering.

The hot water felt like heaven running over my skin, washing away any stress from the previous day. I then noticed, not for the first time, how feminine my body really was: shoulder-length hair; button nose; thin limbs; slender fingers. Sometimes life just wasn't fair. I shuddered as my worst memories came rushing back to me, cursing whatever higher power had given me a photographic memory. Six years later and I was still plagued with clear pictures of that night: the night when my innocence had been cruelly taken and I could do nothing to stop it.

A loud knocking on the door wrenched me away from those thoughts. "Destin, hurry up!" I quickly shut off the water and hopped out, drying my hair while brushing my teeth. After pulling on my uniform, I opened the door and rushed past Kei. He just laughed before walking into the bathroom. A few seconds later, the shower was running again.

It was 7:15, meaning I had just enough time to grab something to eat before my test. In a way, it was rather cruel of them to throw this on me without any prior warning, but there wasn't much way I could have studied for it anyway. I pulled on my jacket and set out of the room. As soon as I stepped foot into the hallway I felt eyes upon me, though most were trying to be inconspicuous. I walked past many people before I got to the lawn and the brisk winter air accompanying it. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Although it was still rather early for breakfast, there were several people in the cafeteria. Self-consciously, I picked up a tray and made my way through the line, then sat in the corner of the cafeteria, picking at my food. A few minutes later, I felt a presence coming toward me before I looked up to meet eyes with a bouncy, bright-eyed girl. She set her tray down before holding out her hand. "Hello. I'm Rika."

For some time we just stared at each other, taking the other in. She wore a Music Academy uniform with a letter 'B' on the pocket. "Destin," I said, finally, taking her hand.

"Yeah," she said, sitting down. "You haven't even been here a day and you're already the talk of the school." By this time, more students appeared, eager to get breakfast before morning classes began. "So do you play piano like your father," she questioned.

"Yes."

She smiled as the first bell rang. "Good luck on your test," she said, sincerely, and running off.

"Thank you," I mumbled. Maybe I could get used to this place.

Babblings: Well, what do you think? I have a lot of really neat ideas for this story. You will find out more about Kei and his parents later. Trust me when I say that will be interesting.

Review!


	2. Fear

Lights and Sounds

Chapter Two: Fear

Babblings: Thank you so much for your support and reviews. I appreciate them more than you can imagine. People keep saying such nice things. Still, nearly everyday, I get another review or two for Looking In. Thank you to those of you who have kept with me through this entire thing.

This chapter was named after the son Fear by Sarah McLachlan. I just happened to be listening to her as I typed and thought the song fit this chapter.

Dedication: to Angels and Effects, my constant source of inspiration and support. Check out her stories. She's amazing.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

For a few minutes after Rika left, I stayed put, gathering my courage to walk to the auditorium for my test. Finally, when I couldn't wait any longer, I placed my tray on the counter and sprinted down the hallway. Surprisingly, no one was yet inside when I arrived, nearly panting for breath; but on the stage there was a single desk and a large, beau… magnificent grand piano, the likes of which I had never laid eyes upon before. My pace quickened and I found myself uncontrollably wanting to touch that piano.

So I did. I sat upon the bench, so unlike my own at home, and placed my fingers on the bright, gleaming keys. When I pressed down, the most amazing tone I had ever head came ringing through the auditorium. Before I could stop myself, my eyes closed and I let the music flow from the very depth of my being. I think I fell in love with music all over again.

When my interlude came to a close, loud, yet lonesome, clapping shook me away from my safe-haven. I pulled back, blushing, as I realized my judge just witnessed most likely the entire thing. As I peered closer at her face though I noticed she had a look of complete fascination upon her face. Finally, she said, "Mr. Uchiha, I believe you have just made it into Kohona Music Academy." She stepped up onto the stage and held out her hand to me. "I am Professor Tsunade or Tsunade-san if you prefer to call me as such. Since you have already just passed the musical part of the examination with flying colors we can move onto the academic portion. You realize this is the normal entrance exam for this school and it will show us which group to put you in?" When I nodded, she ushered me over to the desk, placing a packet of papers in front of me. "You will have exactly two hours… starting now."

As I opened the test, I had to pause and just stare at it. This was all material I had learned years and years ago. Surely, this had to be a joke. I looked up expectantly, but Professor Tsunade just nodded, so I sighed, cracked my knuckles, and set to it.

By the time I finished, less than half the given amount of time had passed. I gave the test one last look-over before stepping down the stairs and handing it to her. She looked up with a rather shocked look on her face. She asked, "You're done?"

"Yes, professor," I replied, politely.

"Um, very well then," she said, her eyes still blinking rather rapidly. "You're free to go. The results will be posted at lunch when you will be given your new uniform and class schedule."

Taking that as my cue to leave, I grabbed my bag and disappeared form the auditorium. Again, the school was eerily quiet, though this may perhaps been due to the fact that this portion of the school had no classrooms. Still, a cacophony of sounds flitted into my sensitive ears: a fly buzzing, wind creeping through the old seals of the doors and windows, the tap-tapping of my feet on the marble flooring.

Since I didn't have anything better to do, I decided on heading back to the dormitory to see if I could find a place to get comfortable. As I trudged back across the field, I felt a soft wetness on my nose: a snowflake. When I glanced up, I saw many more of its brothers and sisters falling down to the earth.

Back in the dorm, I found a room, safely hidden away with a thick layer of dust. It was surrounded by windows and several large fluffy chairs beckoned me to join them so they could share their warmth. It appeared to be some sort of study room. I padded over to one of the chairs and contented myself with memorizing the snow's patterns and losing myself in the welcoming embrace of the armchair.

I found myself awakened, rudely, from my meditation some time later by someone demanding in my ear what I was doing and why I wasn't at lunch. Rolling my eyes, I turned toward the voice, finding myself nose-to-nose with a dark-haired man with a friendly face. He appeared to be on the upper end of his forties. There was something about him that seemed consoling and familiar – also comical figuring he was holding a mop like a guitar. "So who might you be, young sir?" he asked, a wide grin on his face, holding his hand out to me.

I quirked an eyebrow, but grasped his hand and said, "I'm Destin Uchiha."

In an instant, a surprised look crossed his face, though it seemed to be for other reasons than why everyone else gave me that same look. Quickly, his features rearranged into a smile and he said, "I'm Iruka, dorm-monitor slash janitor." Now this was a man who was easy to read. Already I could tell he could be easily manipulated. And he possessed that same glint in his eyes Daddy got when Dad joined our family again – so he loved someone a great deal. "Now I'd love to stay and chat, but you should be getting to lunch."

I nodded, grabbed my things, and ran out the door, his laugh echoing behind me.

When I arrived at the cafeteria, everyone was up in a fuss about something. They were herded around something, but, given my short stature, I couldn't see over them, so I went for my second option: going under them. No one really seemed to noticed, even when I was right in front. Then, I understood the reason for the commotion: up on the bulletin board top-ranked students were posted along with what score they got on the entrance exam. Right up at the very top was my name directly above… 

Kei's…

"Destin!" came an angry voice from behind me. Immediately, I felt the gazes of the students turn to me. I gulped uncomfortably. Kei stormed up to me, thrusting a few boxes in my hands, presumably holding my new uniforms. "I hate you," he hissed, making me cringe. "I worked hard for that spot and now you just waltz in out of nowhere and steal it away from me. Well, I hope you are happy."

As he walked away, I stumbled blindly behind him, finding myself blinking back tears. "I-I didn't mean to," I gasped out, grabbing his sleeve.

He turned and glared with such malice it seemed to me as though the very life had been sucked from the room. "Go away," he said and stomped off. This time, I didn't follow him.

Everyone crowded around me, asking questions, making me feel sick. Then I saw Tsunade-san's head and she kindly asked the students to clear away. She grasped my hand and led me off to the side, smiling. "Here is your schedule," she said, handing me a sheet of paper. "You don't have to start until tomorrow. Oh and don't worry about Kei. He's just had a rather hard life." Her face darkened as though she was remembering a sad story. "He'll come around. Just give him time." At my nod, she patted me on the shoulder and swept away.

I held the boxes close to my chest, not so hungry anymore. I didn't fit into this place. That's all there was to it. Maybe once everyone got used to me, it wouldn't be so bad. For now, all I wanted was to get my hands on a piano.

Suddenly, I found myself running to catch up with Tsunade-san. "Yes?" she asked, eyeing me questioningly.

"I was wondering if there was a piano I could use."

She nodded. "There's a practice room in the dorm. Ask Iruka to show you.

"Thank you," I said and ran away toward the dormitory.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The piano was magnificent – not in the way the grand piano in the auditorium had been, but in that ancient, all-knowing kind of way. And entire circus had been carved into it.

"You're a lot like your father."

I looked up and met Iruka's gaze. He had shown me to this room. "You knew him?" I asked.

He grinned and said, "You could say we got fairly close for a few years. Sasuke always traced his fingers over a piano before he played it, just as you did now. You look like him, too, except for your eyes." And the rest he left unsaid. Hopefully he would tell me the story someday.

"Thank you," I said. "I can handle it from here."

But he didn't leave, even when I played the first chord to see how in-tune the old instrument was. Finally, "Can I listen to you? I promise you won't even know I'm here."

Sighing, I waved my hand to a chair on the other side of the room. And then I was lost. It didn't matter that someone else heard it. It was just me and my melody. The tune flowed from my fingertips, the music that had built up behind that dam in my heart finally able to run free.

I don't know how long I stayed as such, but when I finally pulled myself out of my bubble of security the sun was considerably higher in the sky. Iruka sat still in the corner, his face possessing the same look everyone else had when they heard me. I pushed back from the bench and made my way out of the practice room, not exactly wanting to know what he thought of my playing.

When I arrived back in my room, Kei was already there doing homework. He didn't say anything to me; I didn't say anything to him. Guilt seemed to seep into my skin, making me shiver.

Look," I said as I set my bag on my bed, "I'm really sorry."

His slouched shoulders visibly tensed, then relaxed. He let out a long, deep breath. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry I freaked out on you."

And nothing more was said for a long time. I snatched my sketch book from my bag; he scribbled away hurriedly on his paper. After awhile, I felt him looking at my drawing over my shoulder. "Is there anything you can't do?" he asked.

I raised an eyebrow. "I don't know yet."

He laughed – a melodic sound that echoed around the room. "Are you coming to dinner?" Upon remembering the events of the afternoon, I shook my head, not wanting to deal with the rest of the school's population. "Fine, but if you die of starvation, it's not my fault."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_His hands were everywhere, touching me, stroking me. I tried to scream, but there was no one to hear me except for my little brother. His eyes were wide, trying to take in what was happening._

_And then came the horrible pain shooting through my body._

"_Destin, has anyone ever told you before that you are quite beautiful?"_

_Beautiful._

_Beautiful…_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Someone was violently shaking me awake. I could hear myself screaming. He touched my shoulder, but I flinched away, crawling to the other side of the bed, tears streaming down my face. Why now? Just as I was staring to heal? Why did I have such a vivid dream?

"Destin, are you okay?"

I nodded, wiping away the last of my tears. In the darkness, my eyes began to adjust and I could make out Kei's outline and his tired eyes. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No," he said. "I couldn't sleep anyway." There was a pregnant pause and then he asked, "Does this happen often?"

"It hasn't… for awhile now."

"Okay," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes cutely, and shuffling back to his bed. Soon soft snores could be heard along with the gentle rising of the blankets. I groaned, rolling over on my side, willing the images of my nightmare to disappear.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Babblings: Yay! Chapter two! Tell me what you think in a review! XD


	3. Strangers Like Me

Lights and Sounds

Chapter Three: Strangers Like Me

Babblings: Yay! I'm updating! This chapter is named after the Phil Collins song 'Strangers Like Me,' one of my favorite songs. Does Tarzan ring a bell? XD It seemed to fit as this chapter is about Destin adapting to his new school and trying to make new friends while forgetting about his past.

Also, to those of you who are wondering if there will be yaoi and if Destin will get pregnant, the answer is yes. Unfortunately for you, it will take awhile because Destin is still healing and doesn't want to become a Daddy so young.

And yes, I am (somewhat) musical. I have been playing the flute and piccolo for eight years now. I wish I could play something else, but alas, I am too busy writing fanfiction all the time to start something new.

Sorry for the long author's note. Here's the chapter.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I stared into the mirror, eyes blinking rapidly. I had donned my new uniform and had been surprised at how good it looked. The material felt like silk against my skin. The only downside was that it made me appear paler than I already was.

"I'm going to leave without you unless you come right now." Giving myself one last look, I sighed and followed Kei out the door.

Thus began my first day of classes. As we trudged across the snow-covered field, I ran over my schedule in my head, trying to remember it, although it wouldn't be too hard since Kei and I shared most of our classes. According to the schedule, every other day I had normal classes such as math, English, P.E., and science. Then on the other days I had all music-related classes: musical theory, musical history, private lessons, etcetera.

But first I had to get through breakfast.

It was weird, but nice to realize that not all the students' stares were directed toward me. Apparently Kei was quite popular. It figured though – I mean… with his good looks and all. He led me to a table surrounded by students in white uniforms, all with the letter A on them. "Guys," Kei started, sitting down and motioning me to sit beside him, "this is Destin. Be nice."

For a moment, that last comment seemed to put a damper on things, but the boy sitting next to me held out his hand and grinned. "I'm Ryo. Welcome to the gang."

A girl sitting across from him swatted his arm in a playful manner. "Ryo, we are _not_ a gang."

"Gang meaning: club, group, society, friends… It's just a term, Kayatani," he smirked, his words obviously meaning something I couldn't pick up on just yet.

"It's _Kaya_, you nit-wit."

Kei rolled his eyes and banged his head lightly on the table, muttering something to himself. The few others in the group seemed content to enjoy their breakfast and ignore them. These two – Kaya and Ryo – obviously liked each other. In fact, I could almost see it radiating off them. Some people read like open books, especially when it comes to love. Love is blind to them, but brilliantly visible to everyone else.

I slid my hand under Kei's head in order to prevent any lasting brain damage as he had probably hit head twenty times by then. He stopped, but didn't look up. Someone abruptly bounded up beside me. It was Rika, the girl I met the day before. "Destin," she said, happily, taking my hand in her own. "I see your test went well yesterday."

Before I realized what I was doing, I wrenched my hand from hers and placed it in my lap, the dream from the night before playing over again in my head. The man's voice rang in my ears. "Beautiful… beautiful… Destin, you are beautiful."

Rika looked a bit taken aback, but she didn't run away as I would have done. Instead, she flashed a smile and said, "I'll see you around."

Kei eyed me questioningly. He hadn't brought up what had happened last night, but I'm sure he was curious and probably figured my reaction to Rika had something to do with the nightmare. Maybe he knew human contact triggered my reactions. "You ready to go?" he asked.

I nodded, standing up. "Lead the way."

We were the last students to arrive before the bell rang. Kei took his seat and smirked at how I awkwardly stared at the floor and wrung my hands together. Then the teacher walked in and I felt a bit more at ease. She was about the age of my parents and was fairly pretty. "Hello, you must be Destin." She held out her hand, which I reluctantly took, willing away the urge to flinch. "I'm Temari-san. Welcome to Advanced English." Her eyes scanned the room quickly. "Take a seat in an open desk. It doesn't matter where." Thankfully for me, there was a seat behind Kei. I sighed and slumped low in the desk.

Besides the test yesterday, I had never sat in a desk like this before. I ran my fingers across the different grooves and engravings. I wondered if my dad had ever sat in this desk. Pictures, like old memories, ran through my mind: people passing notes; students doing homework; children daydreaming. What did this room look like twenty years ago? Fifty years ago? What had other people been thinking about when they had sat in this very same seat? There was no way I could ever know, but I found myself wanting to know anyway.

"Relax." Out of nowhere, Kei's face appeared in front of mine, startling me away from my thoughts. "You think too much." Then he turned back around again and I was left to stare at the creases in his white uniform.

"Today," began Temari-san, "we will begin reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens." As she spoke, she passed books down the rows. My interest piqued. When I first held the book in my hand, immediately I could smell it – an ancient, musty scent. It made me want to curl up with a warm blanket and read it until I had finished. The pages were faded with age and use, nearly falling from the bent binding. I had read some of Dickens' work before, but never this one. I couldn't wait.

"You look like a little kid on Christmas day," my roommate said and then chuckled.

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks?"

"Any time."

We spent the rest of the period talking about Dickens' life and then were assigned to read the first seven chapters for Friday, the next day we had English. When the bell rang, I hurriedly followed Kei from the classroom. "I have Algebra," Kei said softly, as though he felt embarrassed. "Your calculus room is right down that hallway." He gestured to his right. "I'll meet you here afterwards, okay?" I nodded and he left in the other direction.

I found the room without much trouble. This time there was only one other student and the teacher already there when I arrived. The man behind the desk didn't even look up, just pointed to a seat right in front. The boy already in the room glanced up from his notebook and his rather violent tapping of his calculator. "Hi," he said, peering at me from behind thick glasses. "I'm Tai."

"Destin," I said, sitting in the seat next to him.

He continued staring at me. "You look kind of young to be in this class."

"I'm… a freshman." I think that's what they were called…

"You like a genius or something? This class is made up of all seniors."

I blinked, scooting back a little bit. I'd never thought of it like that. But… was that what I was? Was that why everyone looked at me like I was from some other far away planet? I shrugged. "I suppose." The conversation ended there. I reached in my bag and pulled out Great Expectations. By the time the bell rang a few minutes later, the first thirty-five pages were behind me already. Weird, I never realized how fast I read before – and I hadn't missed a tiny detail. The book entranced me. Pip was charming – in a very childish kind of way.

A few more students had weaseled their way into the room, but it was still a small class of only about ten or so. The teacher stood up and handed me a book. "I'm Shikamaru-san. Open your books to page one-hundred and one."

I did as I was told, but paused. I had already done this kind of stuff ages ago. Somehow, I got the feeling this school would be a cinch. Before even half the class had passed I had finished the homework and opened my book again.

"Mr. Uchiha," hissed a voice hovering over my head. Shikamaru-san was glaring at me. "Have you finished your homework already?"

I nodded and handed him my completed assignment. His eyes flitted over the paper and I watched his expression change from angry to amused and then to his usual passive. "Very well," he said and walked back to his desk, resuming his apparent hobby of looking bored.

After Calculus, I met Kei at the appointed place and we proceeded to walk to Advanced Chemistry is silence. The teacher in this class was tall with grayish-blonde hair and a bandana covering one eye. He appeared almost comical with is feet propped up on his desk and a small, strange-looking novel in hand. "Oh, hello," he said casually, yawning at the same time. "I'm Kakashi-sensei. You can pain up with Kei if you'd like. I don't really care."

Kei seemed to stifle a laugh as he led me to a table with two chairs. "Kakashi's odd, but he's the most favored teacher at this school."

"I see," I said, not really seeing at all. But the only thing I really cared about at the moment was reading more of my book. I could feel Kei staring at me, but he said nothing until the bell rang and I put it away. "Destin, are you really halfway through that book?"

"Um…" I said, lowering my eyes. "Yeah, it's really good and I had a lot of time to read in Calculus because I finished the assignment quickly."

"Either way, you've only had it for about two hours."

Thankfully, I didn't have to say anymore as Kakashi-sensei started the lesson. "Today, you will be making salt. All the materials are in the back." And that was that.

"He's always like that," Kei said, putting on goggles and an apron. I giggled a bit at him. He glared at me and handed me some of my own. I saw Kaya and Ryo a table in front of us. We all commented goofily at how ridiculous we all looked.

Then another feminine voice joined ours. "Kei!" Then a blonde girl threw herself into his arms. "You've been avoiding me, haven't you?"

He groaned. "No, Amai. Of course not. I can't be your partner today though, alright? I'm working with Destin."

Her pretty eyes took me in for the first time. I could only imagine what a gorgeous girl like her would think about me and my too small, too feminine body. I could tell by her annoyed sniff and dark glare she wasn't too pleased with her findings. "Fine," she snapped and marched away, her long, blonde hair whipping behind her.

Kaya nudged me. "She thinks Kei loves her. She throws herself on him nearly every day."

Kei didn't seem the least bit pleased. In fact, if the scowl on his face was anything to go by, I'd say he seemed positively disgusted. "I will never like that girl," he said and then muttered, so low I barely caught it, "Too bad father loves her."

"Yeah," Ryo teased, obviously not hearing the last of what Kei said, "but he's too much of a gentleman to tell her to shut up and go away." I knew there was more to this than met the eye. I almost wanted to give Kei a hug, but I didn't know him well enough. But hopefully I would… Hopefully I would.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Immediately following lunch, I was confronted with education's worst horror: P.E. I was given a uniform (shorts and a T-shirt) and expected to go into a locker room filled with rambunctious, testosterone-filled teenage boys. My heart rate sped up. I couldn't do this. Maybe it wasn't too late to run back home. I closed my eyes and forced myself to concentrate on breathing. These were just boys my age, not rapists. Quickly, I ran into a bathroom stall and changed into the uniform.

Kei was already in the gym, talking animatedly with a few of his friends. He seemed to be in his own little world – and I was an outsider. I felt a soft tap on my shoulder and turned to meet Rika. "Hi," I said. "Sorry about earlier. I – "

She shook her head. "It's alright. No need to apologize. I'm glad me have gym together. At least now I won't have to deal with Gai-sensei on my own."

"What?" I began, but was interrupted by a loud man running into the gym and saying, loudly enough to wake the dead, "Good afternoon!" Oh, so that's what Rika had meant. "Today we will be playing… dodgeball!"

I gave Rika a horrified look. "What's dodgeball?"

"You've never played dodgeball?" she asked. "You don't get out much, do you?"

"No…" Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever played in any kind of organized game in my entire life.

"Well," she said, a slow, kind of scary, smile crossing her lips, "you're about to find out what it is."

And I sure did. I think I may crawl under the nearest rock the next time someone mentions dodgeball. I was scared to death of getting hit nearly the entire time. I mean, think about it from my perspective: I'm about half the size of most of these guys and I've never thrown a ball before, so if I was to step right up next to that line, I'd get nailed and… who knew? Maybe I'd die. It didn't matter much anyway. I was the first person to get out.

Truthfully, it was kind of fun to watch. Kei was amazing. He held our team until he was the last person out there. Everything about him is graceful, even when he's dodging incoming nurf-balls.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Advanced World History was taught by an old man who didn't even bother to give me his name. He taught fairly well though. If there was anything Katherine never taught me, it was history and I found myself more than willing to learn something new.

Again, I sat next to Kei. He was flushed from the dodgeball game, but he seemed to be in a better mood than he had been in Chemistry. For that I was thankful. For some reason, it upset me when he was upset.

My last class of the day was art. Kei showed me the classroom and said that his could be found just down the hall. I walked into the classroom and was immediately taken over with the smell of paint – not that it was a bad smell, just a lot to take in all at once. The man teaching seemed a bit… out there, but he showed me where to sit and what to do, saying he liked to be called Haku-san.

I decided I liked having art as my last class. It was a good way for me to vent and get rid of any excess energy, letting go of whatever had happened to me. The time flew by and before I knew it, the final bell of the day had rung.

Kei stood outside the door, waiting for me and together we walked back to the dorms.

That night, I fell asleep almost before my head hit the pillow, too exhausted even to have nightmares.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Babblings: So what do you all think of Destin's first day of school? I know this chapter was kind of a filler, but it explained what his schedule was like and introduced some important new people.

Please review! I love you guys!


	4. The Sleeping Sickness

**Lights** _**and**_ **Sounds**

_**Chapter**_ **Four** **T**_h_e _**S**_**l**_e__**e**_**p**_i_n_**g**_ **S**_i__**c**_**k**_n_e_**s**_**s**

**Babblings**__ This chapter is named after the song The Sleeping Sickness by my favorite singer, Dallas Green. Look him up sometime. His voice is to die for. Hopefully, my updates will be faster now that finals are over and I'm not taking as many stressful classes.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**I'm afraid...to sleep b****ecause of the way you haunt me. I know you can make me fall apart so softly.**

_-Dallas Green _"The Sleeping Sickness"

My heart sped up in my chest as I saw the teacher walk into the room. Today was the day when I would begin the classes I had been looking forward to: the music classes. Fewer students, it seemed, came to class over here, because there were only about eight of us, but Kei sat right next to me. He laughed at me, leaning in close and telling me not to get too excited; it wasn't that interesting. But, for me, anything involving music was interesting; intriguing; fascinating.

And then I realized that I recognized the teacher: "Ino?" I asked, shocked to say the least. I would have thought I would know if my Aunt Sakura's partner worked at the school I attended. I mean, sure, I hadn't seen them for… a long time, but still.

"Destin?" she grinned. "Is that you?" When I nodded, she stepped forward and brought me into a big hug. "I heard we were getting a new student, but I didn't know it was you. But look at you – you're a genius."

"How long have you been teaching here?" I asked.

"About a year. Sakura and I moved here awhile ago, didn't you know?" Obviously not or else I wouldn't have been asking. But seriously… Then again, I guess the last few years of my life have been kind of blurred together. Now that I think about it, I can vaguely remember Daddy talking about them moving… "We'll talk later, alright? I have to start teaching."

The eyes of the class, including Kei's, were staring at us like we had lost it, but they also seemed rather curious. Well, curiosity killed the cat, so they would just have to deal with it. If we got into how Ino and I knew each other, it would also bring up several things I did not want to talk about.

As it turned out, Ino – or Ino-_san_ as I was supposed to call her now– taught History of Music and Musical Theory, two fairly simple, very boring classes. Why would she want to teach them? Who knew.

The rest of the day was spent going from class to class, meeting the teachers and such, none of which were all that interesting. My fifth period, as it turned out, was a kind of student council, of which it seems I was deemed the president.

"What?" I snapped at Kei when he told me this.

"Yeah, all group-A students get together for fifth period on music days and the top of the class is the president. That's how it's always been." A slow smirk came across his face as he said this, as though this was my payback for beating him in the entrance exam.

We walked into the room and I was greeted by a handful of students that I had spent most of the first part of my day with. Ryo came up and punched me playfully in the arm. "So I guess you're the big-shot now, huh?"

"Yeah," I said, glaring daggers at Kei, who just chuckled at me – he seemed to do that a lot.

For the most part, it seemed as though we sat there and did nothing for an hour, occasionally talking about upcoming events, which Kei informed me about. He said that later in the year when there was more going on it would be stressful to be part of the student council, but at the moment it was mostly just fun and games. I could tell.

Finally, the last part of my day came about and I let out a sigh of relief when I walked into a small practice room, completely abandoned except for one solitary woman sitting in front of the old piano. "Oh hello," she said, lifting up her head at the sound of the door creaking on its hinges. "I'm Tenten and you must be Destin." She motioned for me to sit down next to her. "I'm supposed to be your teacher, but from what I've heard you don't much need teaching. Perhaps we can teach each other." I'd never thought of that before, but it sounded good to me. "I have some music that may challenge even you though if you're interested."

From that day forward, piano lessons became my favorite part of the week.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

That first month of school flew by almost without my realizing it. All my free time was spent in the practice room with that ancient piano. I became almost as close to it as my one at home. Almost. Truthfully, outside of class, I didn't really see much of Kei, which, oddly enough, pained me. He was my first friend. Friend: what a strange word. Never before had I had one, always choosing to stay holed up inside the house with my piano and my family, especially after…

Nightmares haunted my sleep more frequently now. Every time, I would wake up screaming and crying and Kei would comfort me, telling me it would be okay. He never asked what it was I dreamt about. Part of me was thankful; part of me wished he cared enough to know what scared me so.

Kei was so hard to read. At times he would smile and brighten my world, then, out of nowhere, his mannerisms would become aloof, as though he was shutting off all human contact. At times when this happened, I couldn't read him at all and it pained my heart in a way I couldn't understand.

All my teachers deemed me a genius, well, except Gai-sensei who considered me a lost cause, which I suppose I was. I would never be good at games like dodgeball. Ino said she and Sakura were visiting for Christmas. I told her that everyone at home would be happy to hear about that.

The morning of our first day of break I found myself standing in our dorm room, trying to wrack my brain to remember where Kei had said he had gone. I wanted to say good-bye to him before I had to leave. Luckily, I didn't have to look far, because just as I was heading down the hallway, I saw Kei walking toward me from the other end.

"Hey," he said, smiling sadly, making my heart clench in my chest.

"What's wrong?" I asked, softly.

He shook his head. "Nothing really. I'm just stuck here over Christmas again like I have been every Christmas since I can remember."

I raised an eyebrow, curious. "Why?"

"My dad," he started and then stopped, as if he were about to say something he shouldn't. "I don't have anywhere else to go."

"Oh," I said, lowering my eyes.

He stepped forward, a long-fingered hand reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. Then I suddenly found myself locked in a warm embrace, held tightly by a pair of strong arms. My heart raced in my chest and my stomach was full of butterflies. "Have a good time, okay? I'll see you when you get back."

I nodded and hugged him back for a moment before stepping away. "Yeah, you too." Then, just as he was starting to walk back to the dorm room, I asked, completely on a whim, "Do you think you could come with me Spring Break? I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind."

He smiled and hugged me once more. "We'll see. We'll see."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

As soon as I saw my parents, I knew something was different. The way Dad had his arm wrapped protectively around Daddy's middle reminded me of a far off memory of when he had been pregnant with Kira.

"You're pregnant," I said with a soft smile, placing my hand on his still-flat belly. But… there were two heartbeats there. Twins. Did they know? I could tell them later. The happy smile on my Daddy's face made me feel happy, too. Then my Dad did something he should have done years ago: he proposed.

And, of course, Daddy accepted.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

"Daddy?" I asked cautiously later that night. We sat in the living room. I looked at the clock: 11:00 P.M. Katherine had already gone to bed. Kira sat on the couch with me, his head in my lap, already fast asleep. My parents were curled up o the overstuffed chair making gooey eyes at each other. Some teenagers found in disgusting when parents did that, but I was just happy mine were together after all they'd been through, even though I still didn't know the whole story.

They both broke their gazes and looked up at me. They still always gave me this odd look whenever I spoke. Granted, I didn't say a single word for nearly five year. But I had been talking again for several months now. "Yes?" they said simultaneously.

I let out a deep breath and said, "Did you know you're having twins?"

Both their eyes went wide and Dad pulled Daddy closer, placing his large hand on top of my Daddy's stomach. I took this to be a sign that they obviously didn't know until now.

"How do you know?" Daddy gasped out a few moments later when they had time to fully process what I had said.

"I felt two tiny heartbeats."

Daddy put his hand on his stomach, obviously trying to feel what I had felt. I knew he wouldn't. I was beyond trying to figure out myself; beyond trying to understand why I knew thing that others never would; beyond trying to explain to people how I knew and felt and saw things. I was different; I was a _genius_. I hated that word. It didn't seem to fit. I wasn't that smart. I just thought outside of the box and saw another way of looking at every day events. I took time to figure out what was really going on.

"Trust me," I said. "Please trust me."

Daddy looked at me and held my gaze. "You know I do. Always, Destin. Always."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

Ino and Sakura showed up at the front door a couple of days later. Katherine's old, all-knowing eyes lit up at the sight of the girl she had raised as her own. Their reunion was a sweet one and it brought tears to my own eyes.

"What's wrong?' asked Kira, ever the innocent one, tugging on my shirt sleeve.

"Nothing," I replied, wiping my eyes.

As it turned out, everyone knew Ino worked at Konoha Academy except for me. No one had bothered to tell me. Although, I suppose if I hadn't been such a mess, I would have known. Not that I wasn't a mess anymore. I just had my emotions under control, excluding my dreams. And here I didn't have Kei to comfort me.

Kei… My heart longed for him and I found myself wanting to be back at school. Was he having a good Christmas? Did he miss me as much as I missed him?

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

"Did you know that your Aunt Sakura ran away shortly before your Daddy came to live with us?" Katherine asked. We were in the kitchen and I was helping her get ready for our Christmas dinner while everyone else cleaned up from our morning of opening presents and sending wrapping paper flying in every which direction.

"No," I said. She had spent the last half hour telling me about her childhood Christmases. I loved listening to her talk. The way she told stories never ceased to amaze me. "What happened?"

"She was going through that rebellious phase most teenagers go through," she eyed me good-naturedly, "and so she ran away to the big city – Konoha as it turns out. I searched everywhere for her, but I never found her. Then she showed up a year later, broken and in need of some loving."

"Wow," I said, genuinely surprised. Sakura had always seemed so… put together. She didn't seem like the type of person who would do something like that. "Did you ever find out what happened?"

"No. She never told me and I never asked. I figure that one day she will tell me all that happened." That's the thing I never got about Katherine: her infinite amount of patience. Even though I am so different from normal people, I still would never be able to wait that long for someone to tell me something like that. Another thing about Katherine is that sometimes she tells these stories that seem so pointless at the time, but then they come back. They always come back in one way or another. Somehow, I thought the outcome of this story might scare me a little.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

The flight back to school seemed to last a lifetime even though it was only about two hours. I decided that I hated planes. They were too many people packed onto one small plane. I understood the physics of how it all worked and everything, but it still seemed amazing that the thing could fly. And I couldn't stand the noises: someone blowing their nose, a baby crying, snoring, the constant hum of the plane.

I wanted to be back at school. I wanted to see Kei again. I wanted the ache in my heart to stop. And I wanted to forget the story Katherine told me about Sakura running away. But none of those things could come into existence at the moment.

Finally, the plane landed. An hour later I was back at school. As soon as I walked through the doors of the dormitory I knew I was home. This was my home now. A few people were back already from vacation, but not too many. Classes didn't start for another two days. I had gotten back early.

I walked up the stairs to my room, the constant pounding of my heart getting louder and louder in my ears. Finally, I opened the door. Kei was lounging on his bed, his nose stuck in Great Expectations. I had finished that book the day after we had started it, but Kei was a little slower.

My feet moved without my brain telling them to and suddenly I found myself crawling onto Kei's bed and hugging him. He laughed his wonderful melodic laugh and hugged me back. "You're here early," he said.

"Yeah," I replied, not knowing what else to say. We stayed there, holding each other for a few moments. When I went to get up, having my Kei-fix for the day(? Hour? Minute? Second? Did it matter? Could I ever get enough of him?), he pulled me back against him. Then he kissed me – softly, sweetly, lovingly.

And that's when I lost it.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Babblings**__ Yay! A cliffhanger! Be happy you don't get many of those from me. Ha. Anyways, tell me what you think of this chapter. And no, there will still be no major Kei/Destin action for quite some time. Be forewarned though: this story is probably going to end up being much longer than the other two and there are probably going to be some big time skips… And I know I packed this chapter full of a lot of important things. I hope you guys are closer to solving the mystery of Kei's parents.

**R**_E_V_**I**_**EW**__

_(or I will eat your first-born children. No, not really. But I do love reviews.))_


	5. Dark Blue

**Lights** _**and**_ **Sounds**

_Chapter_ **Five** **D**_a_r_**k**_ **B**_l__**u**_**e**

**Babblings: **Thanks for all your positive feedback, guys. I love you. Here's the next chapter. I hope it doesn't disappoint you too horribly.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Dark blue, dark blue, have you ever been alone in a crowded room? Well I'm here with you. I say the world could be burning 'til there's nothing but dark blue.**

_-Jack's Mannequin_ "Dark Blue"

"No!" I screamed, scrambling backward until I fell off the bed. My head swam with visions of _that_ night and my body shook with convulsions. "Stay away!"

I curled into a ball, subconsciously trying to protect myself. Kei's strong arms came around me, holding me tight even as I kicked against him, biting him, hitting him. Still, he held me tight against his body. Orochimaru's face was burned into my mind's eye as he repeatedly stole my innocence again and again in my memories.

Finally, I quieted down. Kei whispered kind things in my ear, none of which I really paid notice to. "_Hush little baby_," he sang sweetly, rocking me back and forth in his arms, "_don't say a word. Momma's gonna buy you a mocking bird_…" I'd never heard him sing before. He was amazing. I closed my eyes and drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

When I awoke again, it was completely dark outside. We were in Kei's bed and I was enclosed, protectively, in his arms. I told myself not to panic; Kei wasn't going to hurt me. So I concerned myself with his breathing, watching as his chest fell up and down. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. Why hadn't he left? He must have thought I was some kind of freak, flipping out on him like that. And yet he's still here, holding onto me.

I let out a soft sob and Kei's body shifted against me. His eyes fluttered open. "Go back to sleep," he whispered, pulling me a little closer against him. Once again I had to tell myself that he wasn't going to hurt me.

It was then that I noticed, in the moonlight, all the dark bruises on his arms. I touched one, gingerly, and he flinched a bit. "Did I do that?" I asked.

He nodded and lifted my chin to look at him. "Don't think about it. It's not a big deal."

"But-" I began, but was interrupted by him putting his finger on my lips.

"Seriously, Destin, it's okay. I promise." He entwined his fingers with mine and a soft smile came over his features.

I let myself snuggle up against him and before I could say anything more, we were both in the land of dreams.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

"Destin," whispered a voice in my ear, strong hands shaking me from my slumber. "Destin, come on. Wake up. There's something I want you to see."

Reluctantly, I opened my eyes to find myself meeting the gaze of an ecstatic Kei, all bundled up like… we were going to go outside. I groaned and ducked back under the covers. "No," I said, stubbornly.

But he wouldn't have it. He yanked the covers completely off me and threw my coat at me. "If you don't come along willingly," he said, a glint in his eyes, "I'll just have to drag you along… without your coat."

I let out a long sigh, knowing he had won. I pulled on my coat and some gloves, finishing off the look with a hat. Kei laughed at me, but stopped when I glared. Then he grabbed my hand and led me out the door. He walked down the hallway silently, acutely aware of the sleeping people behind some of the closed doors. He stopped in front of a large metal door, pulling out a key and unlocking it. "Where did you get a key?" I asked. He just grinned at me and opened the door, a frigid blast of air hitting me hard. He walked up the stairs and onto the roof. The sun wasn't even up yet, but orange was starting to fringe the horizon. "What are we doing up here?" I asked, shivering. "Is this even allowed?"

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to him, presumably so we could share body heat. "We are watching the sunrise. It's beautiful from up here, especially when there is snow on the ground. And yes, for me, pretty much anything is allowed."

But he didn't say why and I didn't ask. We both had our secrets. And I didn't want to share mine just as much as he obviously didn't want to share his. Maybe one day, neither one of us would have to hide anything from the other.

We stayed there in silence for a few minutes. The sun began to rise over the horizon, reflecting wondrously off the snow. My breath caught in my throat. It was so… beaut – no, not that word. But it was, even if I couldn't even think that word in my own mind.

"Pretty, huh?" Kei said, startling me from my thoughts.

I looked up at him and nodded. "Thank you for showing me."

He grinned his heart-wrenching smile and said, "Any time, Destin. Any time."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

Had he really kissed me? Did we really spend the rest of the night together even though I freaked out on him? Those bruises… they had been even worse in the daylight. I couldn't believe I did that. But… he kissed me… Did he really like me?

These had been my thoughts for nearly two weeks now. He hadn't done anything since then, but we had seemingly become the best of friends. Everyone seemed to notice. I recalled my conversation with Kaya earlier that week:

"_I'm really glad he's become close to you," she had said, smiling._

"_Why?" I asked, curiously._

_Her eyes shadowed over a bit and she said, "He hasn't had the easiest life. And, well, he's never been especially close to anyone – not like he is with you. It's good."_

She was the second person I heard to say that he had had a hard childhood. The first had been Tsunade-san. In spite of myself I felt curious. I found myself wanting to know everything abut Kei. I wanted him to trust me… But for that to happen it would have to be a mutual trust and I wasn't emotionally ready for that yet. I didn't know if I would ever be. I could see the look of disgust on his face when I told him I wasn't innocent; that I hadn't been since I was nine years old. I wasn't ready for him to abandon me because of what had happened. Maybe I would never have to tell him.

"Destin!" Tenten yelled loudly in my ear.

"Sorry," I muttered. I must have spacing out for quite some time now for her to be yelling that loudly. "I'm just a bit distracted."

Her eyebrows rose high onto her forehead. "I noticed. How about I let you go a bit early today?"

I nodded my thanks and grabbed my bag, heading out the door. I could never remember spacing out this many times before in my life. All my teachers in the past week or so have been commenting that my grades have been slipping (meaning they are going from A-pluses to just regular A-s).

My feet wandered without my brain telling them, consciously, where to go and I found myself in the small garden attached to the dormitories. Suddenly, my brain was completely clear for the first time in a couple weeks: Iruka-san and Kakashi-sensei were kissing on the bench and they were all over each other, as though the other was their next meal. I started to walk away, but Iruka-san saw me before I could get too far. "Destin!" he called out. I winced and paused my retreat.

"I-I'm sorry," I stuttered out. "I d-didn't mean to…"

Iruka-san laughed and motioned for me to come forward while Kakashi-sensei just absently scratched the back of his head. "You remind me so much of your parents," he said and then looked as if he had said something he shouldn't have.

"How do you know my parents?" I asked, glaring at the both of them. At least I finally knew the reason as to why Iruka-san always looked as though he was in love… but Kakashi-sensei? It was just so weird. And yet, the strong bond I felt coming from them seemed as though it had been there for a long time; it was stronger than the one I felt between my parents.

Iruka-san let out a deep sigh and waved his hand at Kakashi-sensei, signaling him to leave us alone. When it was just the two of us, he motioned for me to sit beside him. "Would you like to hear a story?" At my nod, he said, "I really shouldn't be telling you this. And I'll just be telling you what I know. You'll have to ask your parents for the rest of the story."

He inhaled deeply and began his story, the one I had been waiting nearly fifteen years to hear. "Your daddy, Naruto, way back when was not liked in this town. In fact, he was despised, but not because of anything he had done – because his mother was inhuman. She massacred hundreds of townspeople. Some said she was a demon. In a way, they were right: she passed on some of her traits onto Naruto, including the ability to give birth. Do you understand so far?" Well, that solved the mystery of how Daddy was able to give birth to me. I inclined my head, meaning for him to go on.

"I raised Naruto from the time he was a young child; loved him as my own. Then, one day when he was about eighteen, he disappeared. I looked everywhere for him, but to no avail. About a year later, he showed up on my doorstep, looking as though he had just gone through hell. He was pregnant. He told me that he had slept with Sasuke Uchiha and when Sasuke had figured out Naruto's name, he kicked him out of his house, calling him a whore."

My eyes widened at this. Dad called Daddy a whore? Why? Just because of his mother? But it didn't make any sense. My Dad loved Daddy. I could see it, feel it, in everything they do. They are overflowing with love for each other. Memories suddenly came back to me of when I was very young. I remembered Daddy yelling at Dad, screaming at him to get out. I couldn't recall exactly what they said. I also remember driving a long ways and after that we were a family. Is that the reason why Dad wasn't there for the first few years of my life? "Oh," I said, lamely. "Go on."

"Naruto lived with me for a few months and then he disappeared again. Sasuke showed up at my door a few days later, telling me that he had come over, wanting to see Naruto – to apologize – but your Daddy just slammed a door in his face. Sasuke had apparently been out on a date with someone else and Naruto had seen them. We spent the next five years trying to figure out where you had ended up. When Sasuke said he found a lead, he left and I haven't heard of any of you since until you showed up out of nowhere to go to school here."

We sat in silence for a few minutes as I processed what Iruka-san had just told me. I realized something then: "So does this kind of make you my grandfather?"

He laughed and said, "I suppose – if you want to think of me as such, although you'd better keep that just between us."

I gave him one of my few smiles. Then I took notice of something else. "So…" I said, slowly, finding myself afraid of the answer, "is it possible… that I am able to… get pregnant also?"

Iruka-san shrugged. "I suppose it may be possible. But is it such a horrible thing, Destin? You are happy, aren't you?"

I nodded. "We're happy." For the most part…

"Tell me," he said, "do you have any siblings?"

"Yeah," I said, eyes brightening a bit. "I have a little brother. His name is Kira. He's eight. And Daddy's pregnant again – with twins." Iruka-san's eyes closed and he leaned back on the bench. I could feel a wave of longing coming from him. "Maybe you could come visit sometime."

"Yeah," he said, "I'd really like that."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

"What are you brooding about?" Kei asked from his side of the room.

"Nothing," I said, rolling over onto my side on the bed.

I heard the padding of feet on carpet and suddenly he was leaning over me. "Destin, I know you well enough to know that your mind is never blank. You're always thinking about something."

I blinked. "Fine, I'm thinking about _something_, but it's not really a big deal."

He shook his head, blonde hair falling into his eyes. "Sometime, tell me what goes on inside your head, okay?"

"Okay," I said, "I promise."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

That night the nightmare came back, more vivid and terrifying before. I awoke, screaming and kicking as the something – or someone – holding onto me. He wouldn't let go. I could make out his blonde hair in the moonlight. I slowly came back to reality, realizing that this was Kei, not Orochimaru. Kei would keep me safe. "I'm here with you, Destin," he whispered, his own voice seeming to be strangled by tears. "I'm here. You're okay."

How could he put up with me night after night? How could he go through this with me? Most normal people would have asked for a different roommate by now, one that didn't scream and make all sorts of commotion in the dead of night.

But he was still here. He hadn't abandoned me.

"I'm here with you," he whispered again, pulling me close, embracing me as though both of us were to die if he let go. "I'm not going to leave you."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Babblings**: Okay, so I was listening to this really depressing but amazing song on repeat while I wrote this and I'm crying all over my keyboard. Please tell me what you think of this chapter. You know I love you all.


	6. Shooting Stars

**Lights** _**and**_ **Sounds**

_Chapter_ **Six: S**_h_o_**o**_**t**_i__**n**_**g** _S_t_**a**_**r**_s_

**Babblings: **I'm sorry about the angstiness of the last chapter. I'm afraid it's only going to get worse from here on out. I have to say, though, I think I've fallen in love with this story. I'm not sure why, but Kei and Destin have captured my heart.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Maybe this life is just about love and tenderness, if all we are are shooting stars. Maybe we, we can't fight all of this pain and loneliness, if all we are are shooting stars.**

_-Edwin McCain_ "Shooting Stars"

After that night, my reactions to human touch became almost scary. Whenever anyone would touch me or accidentally rub against me in the halls of school. Without Kei standing right beside me all the time, I would have completely lost my sanity. He was the only person I wouldn't flinch away from. I frightened myself. Could I be sinking back into my pit – the one I had worked so hard to bring myself out of? And yet, someone held onto me, keeping me from slipping over the edge. I still couldn't understand why he was still with me, but maybe I didn't need to understand this one thing.

"Come with me into the city this weekend," Kei said abruptly, nearly making me choke on my food. "I'll show you around."

Kaya and Ryo, along with Rika, who had joined our group, raised their eyebrows at us. No one said anything for a moment. I felt put on the spot – something I had never dealt well with. "Why?" I finally managed to choke out. I knew we were allowed to leave campus on the weekends, but so far I had never done so. I was perfectly okay right where I was.

Kei grinned at me. "Because you need to get out and I can show you all the cool parts of the city."

In spite of myself, I nodded. I'd never really been in a big city before. Konoha Academy really sat outside Konoha City in the suburbs. "Okay," I agreed, wishing I knew what I had gotten myself into.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

When I got into the dormitory that night, Iruka met me and handed me an envelope. I eyed him and he just shrugged. "Um, Iruka-san," I said as he started to walk away. "Thank you."

He nodded and slipped out of sight. I still had a hard time believing the story he told me. I mean, I knew he wouldn't lie to me, but it was just hard to process. It was also hard to believe he had raised my Daddy.

"You got a letter?" Kei asked, walking into the dormitory, a gust of chilled air rushing in behind him, causing me to shiver.

I looked at the return address. "Yeah, it's from my… parents," I whispered. I wondered if Kei knew about my Daddy and how this entire city had despised him. Would he think me even more of a freak if he knew that I had been born from a male, not a female like every normal human being is? I ripped the letter open and skimmed it over as we walked to our room. I recognized my Daddy's rather sloppy handwriting.

_Dearest Destin,_

_I'm sorry this is the first I've written to you since we saw you at Christmas, but our lives have been rather hectic here lately. We're planning the wedding. It's going to be in March when you come home for Spring Break. I know it's rather soon and I'll be in the middle of my pregnancy, but we all thought it would be best._

_How is school? You didn't say much about it when you were here. We'd love it if you wrote sometime. Kira really misses his big brother. He's made a new friend who he plays with a lot. They don't live too far away, but then again nothing is far away in this town. Wataru's (that's Kira's friend) mother is a nurse. She's been helping me through my pregnancy and stuff. It's nice to actually have pills that help with morning sickness. _

_Your Dad is teaching piano lessons now. I think it's so we still have the sound of the piano in the background, even if none of those kids will ever be as good as you. _

_We all miss you here and can't wait to see you. Happy Birthday._

_Love,_

_Daddy_

"Anything interesting?" Kei asked.

I shrugged. "My parents are getting married over Spring Break."

He eyed me questioningly. "They weren't married before?"

"No, but my Dad's lived with us since I was six." I closed my eyes and clamped my mouth shut before I ended up saying anything reckless.

"Nine years is a long time to be together," Kei said, unlocking out door and holding it open for me.

"Yeah," I agreed. Nine years was definitely too long to be together without being married. I remembered Dad once proposed to Daddy many, many years ago. I wondered if Iruka-san and Kakashi-sensei were wed. They had been together longer than my parents.

"Do you have any siblings?" he asked, setting his things on his desk and sitting on his bed, motioning to me to sit beside him.

Sluggishly, I moved to sit next to him on the bed. "I have a little brother and my D-" I caught myself just in time. "Um… there are two more on the way."

"Two?" Kei questioned.

"Twins." For a moment there was silence, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Kei wrapped an arm casually around my shoulders. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" I said after some time.

A dark look crossed his features. "I don't know," he muttered. Was this what Kaya and Tsunade-san had meant when they said Kei hadn't had an easy life? Was it part of it? Regardless of my curiosity, I didn't ask him anything else. It wasn't in my place. I had a feeling this conversation was going places neither of us wanted to go.

"Come on," he said at long last. "Let's get ready for bed."

When we both had our pajamas on and had cleanly brushed teeth, I climbed into bed with Kei, snuggling up close to his body. This was a habit I had picked up in the last week or so and Kei didn't seem to mind. His presence kept my nightmares at bay for the most part. Now they were just like vague whispers as opposed to explosions.

"Kei," I said, softly.

"What?" he muttered sleepily, reaching over me to turn off his lamp.

"Tomorrow's my birthday."

"Really?" He looked surprised and then almost excited. "That's great," he said, "Even more of a reason to go into the city."

I smiled a bit. "Thank you… for everything."

He gently kissed the top of my head and there was nothing but a slight flutter of panic in my stomach. "Don't think anything about it, Des." Des? Was that… a pet name? I laid my head on his chest and drifted off to sleep.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

Everything was huge; the buildings stretched up so far into the sky, it appeared as though they reached the clouds. And there were so many people everywhere, shopping, working, running. I clung onto Kei for dear life. He just laughed good-heartedly. I'd never imagined the center of a city to be so… insane.

We had taken a train to get here. That was a whole new experience for me. The train moved too fast. And it was so gross – gum stuck everywhere, the seats an ugly orange color, garbage lying everywhere; the whole train smelled like something I didn't even want to think about. I couldn't even begin to imagine how some people used it everyday to commute to and from work.

"It's not all this bad," Kei promised. He led me down many streets. We paused to look in some of the shops. Admittedly, there was something rather pretty and endearing about this whole place. Kei bought me something called fry-bread. It was delicious, all fluffy and sprinkled with powdered sugar, but I'm sure if one ate enough of them they'd have a heart attack. Other than the train, the city was fairly clean and well-kept, which I found myself to be very grateful for.

When the sun started to go back down, Kei held my hand and showed me to this huge concert house. Somewhere in my mind, I found it to be rather familiar, like a long lost memory. "What are we doing here?" I asked.

"I thought," said Kei, "that since it's your birthday and all I'd take you to see a play. It's nothing really special." A slight flush came over his cheeks. I reached up and my fingers brushed against his skin, a faint whisper. "It'll give you a good feeling of the city," he finished.

After a few more moments, he clasped my hand in his own and we walked into the concert house. As soon as I walked into the actually auditorium part of the theater, I remembered how I knew this place. I squeezed Kei's hand, signaling him to stop, and closed my eyes. In my mind's eye, I could see my Dad up on that stage. I remembered what the backstage looked like and I knew I could find the exact seats my Daddy and I sat in. This was the place where we had at last become a family. For once, my cursed photographic memory blessed me with a good memory.

"What is it?" asked Kei.

I shook my head, smiling slightly, opening my eyes. "It's nothing." When we sat down in the hard, uncomfortable chairs, I asked, "What play are we seeing?"

"Alice in Wonderland," he said, a smirk crossing his elegant features.

I rolled my eyes at him and we both shared a bit of a giggle.

I'd never been to a live play before and 'Alice in Wonderland' had been one of the first books I had ever read, so I loved the play. It was definitely comical. I looked over at Kei several times. He seemed to be glowing. Throughout the entirety of the play, we remained casually holding hands, as though it were nothing. My small hand fit perfectly within his larger one.

When it was over, we had to head back to school. Since I expressed my extreme hate for the train, we took a taxi back. I told Kei he didn't have to but he said it wasn't a problem; it wasn't his money. But whose was it?

As we crossed the wide lawn at school to get to our dorms, I realized just how exhausted I felt. I'd definitely had a full day. Suddenly, Kei pulled on my arm and pointed to the sky. There were shooting stars, hundreds of them – a meteor shower.

"Wow," I said, simply, awed by the spectacle before me.

For several long moments, we stood there, staring at the sky. The Kei broke the silence by saying, "Sometimes, I think we humans are just like shooting stars. In the entire span of eternity, our lives are barely a passing second, much like those shooting stars. But sometimes, if we find someone special to spend our lives with, it makes out lives seem a bit more valuable. It makes them seem worth living." He didn't look at me as he was saying this, but I felt my heart speed up. Was he talking about me or no one in particular? I found myself wanting him to be talking about me. I wanted to spend my life with him. Everyone says that first love never works out, but maybe we could make our work.

Wait. I just said the L-word. I was too young to even really know the meaning of that word, right? But then what was this constant feeling of longing in my heart whenever I was around Kei?

I was horrifically brought back from my thoughts by Kei uttering the one word I hated most.

"Isn't this beautiful, Des?"

A shudder ran through my body and I closed my eyes, trying to keep myself from freaking out on my like I had when he kissed me. I breathing in deeply, the essence of that cursed word ringing in my ears. Orochimaru's face flashed in my mind. I could never escape him. He would continue to haunt me until the day that I died. Tears ran down my cheeks.

Kei finally seemed to notice something was wrong. He wrapped me in a hug even as I struggled against him. "God, Des, what's the matter?" I let out a sob, choking on my own tears. At this, he lifted me up and ran the rest of the way to the dormitory. He rushed past all the students staring at us like we were crazy. As soon as we got into our room, he lay down on his bed and held me in his arms, stubbornly refusing to let me go. "Please, you have to tell me. What did I do wrong? I won't do it again. Please tell me."

After a few more minutes, my sobbing slowed. "T-the B-word…"

He looked confusedly at me for awhile before it dawned on him. "Beaut-"

I cut him off by placing a finger over his lips. "Please… don't say that word."

Although I must have seemed insane to him, he nodded.

That night, the night of my fifteenth birthday, we fell asleep without even changing out of our clothes.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Babblings**: For those of you who wanted to know, the song I was listening to at the end of the last chapter is 'Maybe There's A Loving God' by Sara Groves. Yes, it is a Christian song, but she has an amazing voice and the song has a great story behind it. Look her up.

Please review. The next chapter will be up soon. I already have the first part written.


	7. When I Look to the Sky

**Lights** _**and**_ **Sounds**

_Chapter_ **Seven: W**_h_e_**n**_ **I** _L__**o**_**o**_k_ T_**o**_ **T**_h__**e**_ **S**_k_y

**Babblings: **Have you ever read and fanfiction and when you were finished, you were like 'Wow, that was a complete waste of my time'? I just read one like that. The entire story was about pretty much every single Harry Potter character getting pregnant. It had pretty much no plot and was poorly written. When I was finished I realized I had just wasted several hours of my life. It's stories like that which put the mpreg fandom to shame. I once got a review that said 'I'm impressed. You write mpreg _and_ you have a good grasp of grammar.' Tell me if any of you have run into something like this. Sorry about my long babbling.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**When I look to the sky something tells me you're here with me. You make everything alright. When I feel like I'm lost something tells me you're here with me. I can always find my way when you are here.**

_-Train _"When I Look To The Sky"

_Dear Family,_

_I got your letter. I'm happy to hear you are getting married when I will see you next. You deserve each other and you deserve eternal happiness. _

_I'm writing because I have a couple of people I would like to bring with me over the break. The first is my best friend, Kei. He's been good to me ever since I arrived here. We do everything together. He's an amazing violinist and he has the voice of an angel. The second person I would like to bring along is my _grandpa_, Iruka. Yes, he works here as kind of a janitor slash dorm-monitor. I have talked with him and I think he has the right to see his family. I can tell he misses you. _

_Love, _

_Destin_

I knew this letter was kind of short and blunt and implied that I knew their story, but I really needed to know. Spring break was only a couple of weeks away.

After I finished this letter, I walked down the stairs to give the letter to Iruka so he could send it. I had spent the day sick with a cold in my room, so I was the only one besides Iruka-san in the dormitory. I handed it to him with a soft smile, saying, "I asked them. Please send the letter soon." Iruka-san's face immediately brightened and he nodded, muttering a thank you before I turned and walked back up to my room.

"How are you?" Kei asked, worriedly when he got out of class. He curled up next to me on the bed and, at once, I felt a bit better.

"I'm fine," I replied. "Or at least I will be when I get some more sleep." I nuzzled against him, breathing in his fresh and addicting scent.

"So what did you do today?' he asked, stroking my hair comfortingly.

"I wrote a letter to my parents… I asked them if it would be okay for you come with me over Spring Break." Even though the thought excited me to a point, I realized I would have to tell Kei, soon, about my family. That scared me. I still thought he would think of me as some kind of freak.

Kei had apparently asked his parents or guardian figure if he could go and they had said yes, even writing a short note, saying he could go, though I could not read the signature.

"That's good," he said, smiling. At first, he had been reluctant to ask if he could go, but now that it was okay, he seemed kind of excited.

I let out a deep sigh, figuring I might as well just get it out of the way. If Kei left because of this, he obviously wasn't the right person for me. At least, that's what I tried to tell myself. "Listen, Kei. There's something I need to tell you – about my family."

He eyed me suspiciously, but nodded his head, signaling me to continue.

"Have you ever heard of Naruto?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said, not the least bit hesitant. "He was the only son of the demon Kyuubi."

I nodded, my heart clenching in my chest. I willed the words to come to my lips. Finally, they came: "He is my dad."

"But I thought Sasuke-"

I cut him off, "Sasuke is too. I have two dads and Naruto is… the one who gave birth to me."

Suddenly, I felt him move away from me and I knew I had just ruined our friendship and anything we maybe have had past friendship. I closed my eyes, willing my tears to go away. I kept listening to hear the door open, signaling Kei's departure, but it never came. When I turned to look, he was still on the bed, just sitting on the edge, eyebrows knitted together in concentration. When he glanced up at me, he must have seen the worried look on my face, because he managed a smile and said, pulling me once again into a hug, "Des, I already promised you I would never leave you. You need me as much as I need you. I was only thinking."

_He_ needed _me_?

"So is Naruto… part demon?" he asked at last. I shrugged, not really knowing. Kei chuckled. "Well, I guess you really do learn something new every day. It's funny. I was always taught that Naruto was evil, but I never really believed it. Besides, if he raised you, he can't be all that bad."

I was surprised he didn't question it anymore. Was he really just that accepting?

"I don't care about your parents, Des. I care about _you_. I don't think you could do or say anything that would scare me away."

He didn't know that I still held more secrets, closer to my heart. If he knew those, I don't think he would be saying I couldn't scare him away. And yet… I knew he held secrets of his own. I wondered if we would ever move beyond this barrier or secrecy. In a way, I hated it. I wanted to be completely open with him, but my heart wouldn't let me let go of my secrets so easily. To let go of my secrets would be to let go of the past.

"Thank you," I muttered against Kei's chest.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

My Daddy's reply to my letter was short and it almost seemed pained, which had kind of been my point. As much as I loved my parents, they should never have done that to Iruka.

_Destin,_

_Tell Iruka he is welcome in our house and he is welcome to be here for our wedding. I'm happy to hear you have a friend. Feel free to bring him along. We can't wait to see you again. _

_Love, _

_Daddy_

"My Daddy says it's okay," I said, abruptly.

Kei looked up from his homework. I had already finished mine when Iruka-san had brought me the letter. I couldn't wait to run and tell him he could come with us. "I can't wait," he said, grinning at me, melting my heart all over again.

"I'll be right back," I said, wrenching my eyes away from him. I ran down the hallway and down the stairs to the desk where I knew Iruka would be waiting for me. His eyes immediately met mine. "They said yes," I said.

Tears appeared in his eyes. He stood up and gave me a hug. At once, my body tensed, but then I relaxed. This was only Iruka-san. I trusted him. "Thank you, Destin," he said.

"Don't thank me. I hardly did anything."

He shook his head and gave me another squeeze. "There's something really special about you. I think you could change the world if you wanted."

"No," I said, leaning back to look him in the eyes. "I don't want to change the world. All I want is for everything to be at peace right here; right where I'm at."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

The plane trip back home was slightly less painful than it had been the last time. I had Iruka-san and Kei to keep my mind off all the annoying sounds that filled the airplane. Even though the ride wasn't long, I slipped off into a contented sleep against Kei's shoulder.

When I awoke again, the plane had landed. My family was supposed to meet us at the airport. Suddenly, a lump appeared in my throat and I found it hard to breathe. I clutched Kei's hand for comfort. Iruka-san had an equally worried expression on his face. Somehow I knew this reunion would be awkward.

My family was waiting at the bottom of the escalator just like they had been when I came home for Christmas. The bump on my Daddy's baby bump was definitely more visible now. My Dad held him close, protectively. Kei's grip on my hand tightened, as if he sensed my unease.

Daddy's face looked pained, but as soon as we landed at the bottom of the escalator, he launched himself at Iruka-san, tears staining his cheeks. "I'm sorry, Iruka. I didn't mean for it to end up like this."

Iruka-san took Daddy's chin in his hand and forced their eyes to meet. "Naruto, it's okay. I'm just glad I finally got to meet you again." He smiled at Dad who nodded at him. Then he caught sight of Kira and Daddy motioned for my little brother to come over. Tentatively, he padded over to them. Irua-san kneeled and hugged Kira.

I looked to Kei who just shrugged his shoulders and chuckled a bit. Finally, everyone else seemed to notice we were there. Daddy hugged me. I could sense to two little lives growing inside of him. Their presence was almost overwhelming, so much so that I had to step back. Kei took my hand again and I said, "Everyone, this is Kei. Kei, these are my parents and my little brother, Kira. You'll meet Katherine later. She's kind of like my grandmother…" My voice trailed off. I realized just how abnormal my family really was. Not that I was ashamed of them. No, I loved my family to death, but I couldn't believe how long it had taken me to come to know that my family wasn't exactly 'average'.

The ride home was filled with my parents and Iruka-san telling stories, trying to make up for all the lost years. I knew it wasn't possible. They knew it wasn't possible, but that didn't stop them from trying. Kira immediately took a liking to Kei. His eyes glittered brightly – just like they did when he was around me. When we arrived home, Katherine met us at the door. She wrapped me in a big hug, but she didn't say anything. She didn't have to. She and I understood each other without having to talk. I introduced her to Kei and she gave him an equally big bear hug. At the look Kei gave me, I couldn't help but laugh.

At the silence that filled the room, I realized I hadn't laughed around my family for… a very long time. Daddy looked as though he were about to cry. Dad smiled and clapped me on the back. Maybe this was a sign that Kei really was good for me. He was the first person to really make me laugh since the incident which had forever left me changed.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

That night, Kei slept with me in my old bedroom. At first, I thought my parents would object. I knew they thought we were doing more than just simply holding hands all the time. But I wasn't ready for that kind of thing – in fact, I'm not sure if I'll ever be. They could see how happy he made me, though, and knew they couldn't say no to me.

"I like your family," Kei said, staring up at the ceiling, his hands behind his head.

"What?" I asked, surprised.

"I've never had a real family," he said. "And you guys are all just so… close. It almost makes me jealous."

"You don't think we're weird?" I questioned, crawling into the bed and snuggling in beside him. My bed was quite a bit smaller than the ones at school, so we had to squeeze even closer than normal.

"Not weird," he said, entwining our fingers. "Unusual, yes, but not weird. And I can't imagine anyone ever being afraid of Naruto. He's… so much like you."

I raised my eyebrow at him. "What does that mean?"

"Cute and helpless," he smirked.

I playfully punched him in the arm. "I resent that," I said. "And this is my _Dad_ you are talking about, Kei. That's kind of awkward."

"No," he pulled me closer against him, kissing the top of my head. "We are talking about you."

"I'm not cute and helpless," I argued.

"Yes, you are." His face leaned closer to mine. I could feel his breath on my skin, making me feel all tingly. Butterflies danced in my stomach and my heart pounded almost painfully in my chest.

Then he pressed his lips against mine…

… and this time I didn't panic.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

The wedding was a small affair, only our family and a small amount of people my parents had made friends with over the years, but everything was absolutely perfect. Iruka-san walked Daddy down the isle. Daddy looked gorgeous. Apparently Dad had attempted to get him to wear a dress. Even in the white tux though, he took my breath away. Everything about him seemed to glow. Perhaps it was that he was pregnant. Perhaps it was because it was his wedding day. Or maybe my Daddy glows all the time. Underneath the tight suit, I could see his belly sticking out. All this made me want to cry. Kei and I were both standing off to the side. My parents had asked us to be best men. Kei said I should be the Maid of Honor because I would look cute in a dress. I'd also never seen my Dad look quite so good. Whoever had picked out his suit had done a fantastic job.

I guess the saying 'opposites attract' really is true. My parents were polar opposites with everything including their looks and personality. Daddy has blonde hair and blue eyes. Dad had black hair and black eyes. Dad was an amazing musician and I don't think Daddy even knew the difference between an A and a C on the staff of music. But it didn't matter. They had found love.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

There was a small reception at our house afterwards. Everyone kept ooo-ing and aah-ing at Daddy's ring. Not that I could blame them. I stared at it a fair bit myself. It was a small blue sapphire, surrounded by tiny diamonds with a silver band, attached to the engagement ring he had gotten a few months before.

Kei and I mostly stayed to ourselves. I had never dealt well with a lot of strangers, especially ones that always seemed to want to talk with me. Kei seemed sad. I wanted to ask him about it, but somehow I knew he wouldn't answer me. He held onto his secrets as strongly as I held onto mine.

Iruka-san was beside himself with joy. I saw it etched on his face. He was finally with his family again. Truthfully, I was surprised that whole thing had gone so well.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

We arrived back at school a few days before break ended. Iruka-san had to get back for meetings or something. I think he missed Kakashi, really.

After Kei kissed me for a second time, we seemed to have gotten even closer. That kiss, my first real kiss, had been amazing. Kei knew what he was doing. I had managed to keep my panicking thoughts at bay. I refused to let Orochimaru haunt me for once. He hadn't kissed again since then, but it didn't really matter.

"Des?" Kei asked.

"Yeah?" I answered, shaken from my thoughts.

"I was wondering… if your dad is able to get pregnant, does that mean you can, too?"

I gulped. "We – I… don't know." His question had taken me off-guard. I didn't really want to think about it. Besides, I wasn't thinking of doing anything in the near future which would cause me to get pregnant. "Probably. He got the trait from his mom, so it'll probably pass down to me any other children he may have."

"Oh," he said, simply and went back to reading his book. I wondered if he had been implying anything. Part of me wanted to have children with Kei, but definitely not at this age. And having children would mean having sex… which I didn't know if I would ever be able to do. Then again, Kei had helped me a lot already.

"Let's go outside – on the roof," I said.

Kei nodded. "Alright." We bundled up. Even though it was the middle of March, the nights were still a little nippy.

When we arrived on top of the roof, I sighed and leaned against Kei. Ever since he originally showed me this, this became one of my favorite places to go. I looked up at the stars twinkling down at us. The sky was completely void of clouds, making it the perfect night for stargazing. And I was so glad it was Kei with me instead of someone else.

"Kei," I said, abruptly, breaking our comfortable silence. "Don't bring anyone else up here, please," I begged, turning to look him in the eyes. "Please… don't ever leave me. I'd be so lost without you."

A grin broke across Kei's face and he leaned down to kiss me gently. "Don't worry," he said, pulling back. "There won't ever be anyone but you."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Babblings**: Okay, you should all be happy with me! I managed to write a chapter without hardly any angst. Sasuke and Naruto are finally married and Kei and Destin kissed without Destin freaking out. Also you should be happy I got this out so soon and it's extra long. I realized that I'm going to get all four years of high school into this one story, so it's going to be probably at least twice as long as 'Always You'. Ugh. Yeah. So anyways, please review. I love you all.


	8. All We Are

**Lights** _**and**_ **Sounds**

_Chapter_ **Eight: A**ll _**W**_**e** _A__**r**_**e**

**Babblings: **I've come to realize that nearly all the music on my Ipod is really depressing. And I get all the names of these chapters from my music. Ugh. I guess it just inspires me. Oh and I got another review from someone on that said she was amazed she found a mpreg that made her want to hurl. Ha. I love reviews like that. Also, I apologize in advance for the time-skip in this chapter and please try not to hate me. XD

**This chapter is dedicated to WickedLoverUnloved, because she figured out Kei's parents without help from me.**

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**I tried to paint you a picture, the colors were all wrong. Black and white didn't fit you. And all along, you were shaded with patience, your strokes of everything that I need just to make it. Lord knows I'll fail you time and again, but you and me we're alright.**

_-One Republic_"All We Are"

"What are you working on?" Kei asked me, looking over my shoulder.

I quickly blushed and covered the picture with my hands. "It's nothing," I said, too quickly.

He shook his blonde head and leaned down closer, grasping my hand in his, pulling it away so he could see. I glanced away, unable to look at him when he laughed at me.

But he didn't laugh. Instead, he let out a small gasp. "Is that… me?" he asked.

I nodded, my blush deepening. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't think of anything better to draw."

"No," he said, "it's… fantastic. You are so amazing, Des."

I shook my head, frustrated. "The colors are all wrong. I just can't… capture you right. It's hard to explain. There's something about you that's really hard to put on paper. I can't show your…" I closed my eyes, thinking of the right words. How could I explain that I could see all of Kei's emotions even when others couldn't? "I can't draw how you look to me."

He tilted his head in a gesture of confusion, his eyebrows knitting together. "What?"

"It's hard to explain," I sighed.

Kei just laughed then and ruffled my hair. "You're alright, Des. You're alright."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

The rest of my first year of high school sped by in a blur. The only things I really remember were those moments of clarity when it was just Kei and I; no one else. We were completely comfortable with each other. Many times we didn't even have to talk. We understood one another with just eye-contact and body language. I became rather close with Ryo, Kaya, and Rika, too. All of us became sort of an inseparable posse.

The other thing I really remember was the day I was asked to perform at the spring concert, scheduled for the day before we got out of school for the summer. Tsunade-san originally asked me. She said it was a huge honor; that usually it was only the very best seniors who got to perform; and I was certainly the very first freshman. I was ecstatic and ran to tell Tenten that afternoon. She said I definitely deserved it. That day after classes were over, I was supposed to go talk with Gaara-san. He scared me. I had only talked with him once before, but or some reason I had a feeling that he _really_ didn't like me. I thought maybe it had something to do with my parents.

I wonder what would have happened had I waited five more minutes before walking into that office. Most certainly, my life, which had become fairly stable by then, wouldn't have been turned on end.

I opened the door to the office and the secretary smiled at me. "The principal is meeting with someone at the moment. Can you wait for a few minutes?"

Nodding, I plopped into one of the chairs. They were horribly uncomfortable. Maybe they were meant for making people uneasy. Out of curiosity, I peeked into Gaara-san's office and what I saw there caught me completely off-guard: Sakura. At first I thought maybe she was just there because of Ino. But why?

Suddenly, I was hit by reality as she lifted her voice, screaming at him, loud enough for me to hear through the closed door. I couldn't see her face, but her back had tensed up badly. "I want to see my son, Gaara!"

Wait. What? I had to blink. Sakura had a son? Why didn't we know? My brain went into overdrive.

I could make out a sneer on Gaara's face as she said, "It's my right!"

But if all this surprised me, it was what Gaara-san said next that changed my life and broke my heart simultaneously: "You abandoned him; forced him on me; I will _not_ permit you to see Kei."

That's when I felt a blackness come over my eyes. I passed out.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

When I awoke, I was surrounded by the starchy-whiteness of the nurse's office, lying on one of the two make-shift hospital beds. I groaned, pulling the covers over my head as the memories of what I had just gone through came back.

I couldn't understand. Why had Kei not told me? Why had Sakura not ever told us? And when had it happened? Then I recalled the story Katherine had told me over Christmas break. Sakura had run away and came back only a couple months before Daddy arrived there with Katherine. She had run away to the city. It all made sense. Kei was only a couple months older than me. Did Kei even know who his mother was? From the little he had told me, I didn't think he knew.

I felt betrayed; like everything stable had been taken away from me. I told Kei about my parents. Why couldn't he have told me about his? Didn't he trust me? Tears came to my eyes and I didn't even bother to wipe them away. It didn't matter if I cried. I should have known Katherine's story would come back around and get me. They always did; always; always.

"Destin?" asked a small voice from behind me – a voice I recognized all too well. I could hear his feet coming toward me and for one I found myself not wanting him to be in my presence. I tried to remind myself this wasn't his fault – at least the part involving Sakura – but it didn't work. I couldn't overcome the sense of betrayal even when Kei hadn't done anything specifically wrong. He wrapped his arms around me, through the covers, and, for the first time in many months, I found myself struggling to get away from him. But he wouldn't let go; he never did.

When I finally looked into his eyes, I could see worry etched into his face and I could see that he hadn't slept. It must have been really late. I wondered how long I had been out. "What happened?" he asked, still holding me tightly.

My wriggling lessened, giving in. But I didn't say anything, not trusting my words.

He continued: "The nurse said you must have had some kind of panic attack, Des, causing you to black out. That doesn't just happen for no reason. Something happened. And I want to know what it is." Suddenly, his eyes were full of a seriousness I had never seen before in him.

My tears came back and I lowered my eyes. I wanted to be anywhere – _anywhere_ – but here. Finally, I choked out, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Kei's eyebrows quirked up into his blonde bangs, proving he was genuinely confused. He tried to wipe away my tears, but I flinched away and I could see the hurt in his green eyes – eyes I finally recognized as Sakura's; an exact replica. "Tell you what?"

"Your father," I whispered.

The pain that filled his face next was so powerful that I had to look away. For a long moment, we laid in a tense silence. Then: "I didn't think it was important."

"How could you think that?"

And then he said it, the words that hurt the most: "You don't trust me enough to tell what makes you scream in the night, so how did I know I could trust you with something like this?" Then his arms slipped off me and he climbed from the bed. This was the worst nightmare of all. "Until we figure things out Destin, I don't think we should continue…" He stumbled over his words and then gestured awkwardly between him and me. "…this. Relationships require trust and until we can trust each other we can't be together, no matter how much I feel for you." He leaned down and kissed my forehead, ruffling my hair once more. Then he left.

And he took my heart with him.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

Those last few weeks of school were torture. Even though we had mentioned nothing about it, I started sleeping in my own bed again – and the nightmares came back with a force. They were worse than ever before. I awoke screaming more nights than not. And Kei never ran to my side, to hold me as I tried to overcome my nightmare. Kei had been the one holding me together and now I was falling to pieces.

We hardly said a word to each other anymore. I took to practicing my piece for the concert in all of my free time. I would leave in the morning before Kei woke up and get back after he was already asleep. I couldn't bear to see him without longing to be held in his arms.

In a way though, he had been right, as much as it broke my heart to admit so. I just wasn't ready to tell him everything. And it wasn't that I didn't trust _him_; I didn't trust myself.

Finally, the day of the concert came. In spite of my skill, I was nervous. I had never performed in front of such an audience before, up on the stage, with a bright light shining down upon me, illuminating all of my imperfect features. I needn't have worried though. As soon as I sat in front of that gorgeous grand piano, all my fears washed away and I became one with my music. It was as though the audience wasn't even there… until they broke out into a thunderous applause so loud I thought my eardrums would pop.

For a brief moment, I made eye contact with Kei. He smiled his heart-wrenching smile and I knew he had completely captured me: heart, body, and soul. But we weren't talking anymore – not until we both got things straightened out.

I didn't even get to say good-bye to him before I left for the summer. Ryo had asked if Kei wanted to spend the night with him, as Ryo's roommate had already gone home; Kei had readily agreed and I was left with a large, lonely, empty dorm-room. My flight home was scheduled for early the next morning. I woke up at four o'clock and I had already found my seat on the airplane before Kei even opened his eyes to welcome summer vacation.

This time, I was only Katherine and Kira who welcomed me at the airport. Apparently, my Daddy, who was in his seventh month of pregnancy, was finding it hard to get around, especially since he was carrying twins, and Dad stayed home to help him. I hugged Katherine tight, fighting the urge to cry. Somehow, I knew she knew. I missed Kei; I needed him. Kira eagerly held my hand the entire way home. When he inquired about Kei, I just told him that Kei was going to be spending the summer with his family – which wasn't exactly a lie.

My Daddy was definitely showing the pregnancy. He hardly moved from the couch when I walked in and when I went to give him a hug, his belly got in the way. Their heartbeats were stronger now; louder. They sounded as if they were already fighting and they weren't even born yet. I hoped I would still be here when he gave birth. I wanted to see my two newest siblings. We could only pray that nothing would go horribly wrong this time.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

The old porch swing creaked soothingly as I swung back and forth, back and forth. The sun was setting, but even then the hot, humid air seemed to press in on me, making it hard to breathe. I was trying not to think – not to think about anything.

Then the screen door slammed lightly, signaling someone coming outside to join me. As first, I thought it was Kira. Even though I love my brother to death, he can really be annoying at times. But it was Katherine. I felt relieved, even glad. She sat on the swing beside me, wrapping her arm casually around my shoulders. "I'm a good listener," she said. I loved her for not coming right out and asking what was wrong. This was her way of making me feel like it was my idea to tell her what was on my mind.

I let out a deep sigh. The crickets were already chirping. I'd always found that noise to be contenting. An owl hooted somewhere off to my right. Even though I had always told Katherine everything, I wondered if I should tell her about this. She had a grandson – the same boy I was in love with. Yet, I knew she would do the same thing with Sakura, not demanding to know what had happened. She would let Sakura tell the story for herself.

"Sakura had a baby – when she disappeared, like you told me, before Daddy arrived here." I closed my eyes, holding my breath, waiting for her reaction.

Her response surprised me, although I knew it probably shouldn't have: "I know."

"How?"

She smiled, softly, at me. "Everyone acts different once they become a mother. They have this bright look in their eyes. She has her reasons for not telling me."

Again, I found myself wondering where her infinite patience comes from. Maybe she is an angel, sent here to help my family. I mean, really, if not for her, we might be living in a gutter somewhere.

"It's Kei," I blurted out. Once more, she astonished me with a nod. "How do you know?" I asked

"The eyes," she said. "Those beautiful green eyes are exactly the same." For several minutes, we sat in silence, watching as the stars and the moon began to come into view. The last few splatters of red and orange were disappearing over the horizon when she finally asked, "So where is Kei?"

I shook my head. "After I… found out, we had sort of a fight. He said we couldn't be together until we rusted each other completely. And I want to, Katherine. I want to so badly," Tears welled in my eyes. A few dripped down my cheeks. "But I couldn't… couldn't tell him about…" My voice trailed off into soft sobs. I didn't need to finish my sentence. She already knew what I was talking about. "I love him. Oh God, I love him so much." And then I couldn't hold back my crying anymore. Katherine held through it all. She didn't question me, tell me that I couldn't possibly know what love is; I was only fifteen years old. She knew just as well as I did that he was the only one I could spend the rest of my life with, even though, to her, it would be like her two grandsons dating, which, admittedly, is kind of weird.

"Kei is right," she said after some time, when I had myself under control again. "Relationships cannot be based on secrets and lies." And that was as close as she would ever get to telling me that I had to tell Kei about why I got nightmares and why he was the only person outside of family whom I would allow to really touch me.

"Thank you," I said, and stood up, wiping the last of my tears away. "But there's one more story I have to get straight." With that, I walked back into the house in search of my Dad.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

My parents were in the living room, Daddy's head resting on Dad's lap, fast asleep, while Dad absently stroked his blonde hair. I needed to know. "Dad," I said, quietly. He looked up at me, as if shaken from a daze. "Dad," I said again. "I need to know about Gaara."

He visibly tensed, but, so as to not wake Daddy up, he gently slid out from under Daddy and placed a pillow where his legs had been instead. I could sense the overwhelming love coming from between them. I followed him up the stairs and into my bedroom. He sat on the bed, letting out a pained noise, and motioning me to sit beside him. At first I thought he would be angry. Instead, he said, "I suppose you are old enough to know. Iruka told you most of everything, didn't he?"

At my nod, he lowered his head. I'd never seen my Dad act in this way – almost ashamedly. Maybe this had something to do with the way he had acted at the beginning of the school year when he had dropped me off and the snide remarks of Gaara-san's.

"A few months after… I kicked Naruto out of my house, Gaara asked me out. At first I said no, but he continued to ask, so finally I just gave in and went on a dare with him. Your Daddy…" he closed his eyes, as if the memory was painful, "… he saw us. That's the original reason he ran away to here. I found out later that Gaara had already got some girl pregnant a few months prior and yet he still begged to go on a date with me."

All the pieces were making sense now. I was starting to get the entire picture. I gave my Dad a hug. "Thank you," I said.

"No, thank you," he said, squeezing me back. "You really are a miracle."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Babblings: **No worries, Kei and Destin will get back together shortly. Are any of you surprised?


	9. Listen to Your Heart

**Lights** _**and**_ **Sounds**

_Chapter_ **Nine: L**_i_s**t**_e_n **t**_o_ Y**o**_u_r **H**_e_a**r**t

**Babblings: **I'm sorry about the angstiness of the last chapter. I can't put them back together… because they were never dating. Ha. Sorry. Don't worry about it, though. They will get their happy ending. Oh and I'd just like to note that the song I used for this chapter is one of my favorites.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Listen to your heart when he's calling for you. Listen to your heart; there's nothing else you can do. I don't know where you going and I don't know why, but listen to your heart before you tell him goodbye. **

_-DHT _"Listen to Your Heart"

I clutched the letter close to my heart. The summer sun heated the air around me, making it humid and stifling. My hands shook slightly. The mailbox seemed to be smirking at me, as though it felt my fear. I glared it down, showing that I was not to be trifled with; this was a very serious matter.

The letter I was having so much time sending was addressed to Kei – at the school where I assumed he would be staying. I spent hours the previous night pouring over it, getting the words just right. It wasn't long. What I really had to tell him I would have to do in person.

_Dear Kei_, it said.

_I'm sorry._ (I thought it would be best to start off with an apology and work from there.) _I'm sorry about everything – but mostly for not trusting you. I know now that I can trust you with my life. You were right. Katherine helped me figure that out. You had every right to say what you did. It makes sense: if I can't trust you then why should you trust me? I thought maybe my problems were bigger than yours. It's taken me years to even get this far. I didn't even _talk_ for five years. Yeah. _

_I miss you. Maybe I'm just pathetic – actually, I know I am – but I can't sleep without you. You keep my nightmares away, as though even they are afraid to come near when you are around. _

_So I guess I just wanted to let you know what I'm sorry and I'm thinking about you. _(That wasn't strictly true: I couldn't _stop_ thinking about him.)_ I'll see at school come fall. _

_Please don't forget me._

_-Destin_

I had pained over that last part for a particularly long time. I wanted to put 'Love, Destin', but I thought maybe that would be too much. At the same time, though, phrases like 'Sincerely' just felt too formal. So I stuck to just signing my name. I still wasn't sure about it, unfortunately.

Letting out a long breath, I opened the mailbox, closing my eyes and dropping it inside. It was too late to take it back now. There was no way to get into the mailbox without a key. No, my letter was now on its way to Kei. I wondered if he would even read it or if he would rip it to shreds. The latter is what I deserved. I hoped I knew Kei well enough to know that he would never be so cruel though.

I shook my head and made my way back home. For the first time in several years, I took the time to examine my surroundings. Truthfully, I'd never really taken in my small town. At the beginning, I'd been too small and then I had been too busy wallowing in self-pity. Yes, that's what all these past years were filled with: self-pity. Sure, I had a perfectly reasonable excuse, but there came a point in time where I had to move on. And I had to do it whether or not Kei was there to take my nightmares away.

Everything was green, ripe in the middle of summer. The sky above me was nearly clear except for a few stray wispy clouds here and there. At the moment, I was walking on a cobblestone street like most of the others in this small town. It had been here forever and it had a history stretching way, way back. I passed the public school. Though school was out for the summer, several children were playing on the playground. I stopped outside the fence and took a mental snapshot of the looks of pure joy on their faces as they went round and round on the merry-go-round. This was where Kira went to school. I'd never gone there; I'd never even been inside.

Forcing my eyes away, I went back to walking, transferring my attention to the tall oak trees growing in the center of the boulevard. Many of them had probably been there for as long as the town itself. Oaks have been known to live for a very long time. Year after year they offered their shade to anyone below, stretching out their graceful branches to protect us from the sun.

The people here had always been friendly to us. Everyone I passed waved and smiled; I tried my best to do the same in return. I couldn't believe it'd taken me fifteen years to finally explore the town I had grown up in.

I passed my old counseling center and a shiver went up my spine. I looked up at the window, inside of which was the room I'd spent many hours and hours in. My memories of that place were not horrible. In fact, they were quite pleasant. Instead of making me talk about what had happened, _she_ had talked to _me_.

Finally, I came to a park only a couple blocks away from our house. As a young child, Daddy had taken me here several times a week as a way for me to get out and about. We'd stopped coming when Dad had joined us. Immediately, I was drawn to a bench. I sat down, eyelids slipping closed. In my mind's eye, I could see my parents sitting here, arguing. They both looked younger and yet, at the same time, older. Their presence from that day, whenever that had been, still lingered on my senses. I forced the vision away, focusing my eyes on a young couple walking past. They appeared to be only a few years older than me and they looked genuinely _happy_. I wondered what that felt like. But I knew: it felt like Kei's lips on mine; it felt like twirling around in a snowstorm; it felt like watching shooting stars on a clear night; it felt like _Kei_.

Forcing myself to my feet, I made my way home, to our nice, air-conditioned house.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

It was the middle of July when Dad first mentioned it: moving.

"What?" was my initial reaction. I'd never coped with change well and certainly not in something as large as this. I'd grown up in this house; it was the only home I'd ever known before Kohona Academy. This place held all my memories; the good, the bad, and the ugly – ALL of them.

But our house was too small, what with two more children joining our family, though they could have just made me share a room with Kira when I came home for visits and the twins could have had my room… right?

Daddy seemed more than a little surprised, also. He had been here as long as I had and held just as many memories. I saw his hand lower to his bulging belly, feeling the two lives he was nurturing there. He looked to his husband and said, "After the babies are born."

Dad nodded, kissing Daddy lightly on the lips. "Of course. I wouldn't think of doing it now. It'd put you under too much stress." His brow wrinkled, worriedly. This had been the underlying factor which I knew scared them and all the rest of my family: what if Daddy went into a coma again this time or worse? But that wasn't going to happen. Daddy's due date was only in a few more weeks. Somehow, I had faith in my good reasoning. I'd never been wrong before. They needed to trust me.

Trust… that word held so much meaning to me now. It'd been several weeks since I mailed that letter. Every day, I'd been hoping for a letter or a postcard or something, but it never came. I got mail from Ryo, Kaya, and Rika, all telling about their summers, none of them mentioning how Kei was doing. They probably knew just about as much as I did: nothing. I just hoped that he got my letter, even if he never wrote back.

"I've already found a house that might work," said Dad, interrupting me from my thoughts. "It's close to Hinata's house." Hinata was my Daddy's friend and doctor. Apparently, she was going to be the doctor present during Daddy's birth, so we wouldn't have to deal with doctors and hospitals and everything. After all, he had given birth to me in this very house without the help of any real doctors other than the one that happened to be in town.

"I'd like that," said Daddy. "What do you think, Destin?" he asked, turning g his head toward me.

I shrugged. "If it makes you happy, I can do it," I said and stood up, walking out the door to take a walk in the setting sun of late afternoon.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

A month and a half after I'd sent Kei my letter, I finally got on in return:

_Dear Destin,_

_Your letter arrived awhile ago. At first, I was angry and then I felt guilty: those were the two factors that kept me from replying to you. Mostly, I was angry at myself for just letting you go like that. _

_You are not pathetic, Des. And, even if you were, I'm pathetic right along with you. My bed feels so empty without you. I still want to know what happened to you; what makes you so quiet; what makes you have those horrid nightmares, but I can wait. When I see you again, I'll tell you everything. I don't want us to be separated because of something like this. I trust you with everything. These months have been torture without you. I'm sorry I'm such an ass sometimes. _

_Oh, and by the way, at the concert I was completely blown away. Even though I'd been rooming with you for awhile, I'd never really heard your music. You're amazing, Des. And that's the truth. You can do anything you put your mind to. Your music will change the world, I'm sure of it. _

_Write me when your little siblings arrive. They're nearly due, right? I can't wait to see you again. You are always on my mind._

_Love, _

_Kei_

My heart clenched in my chest. 'Love'. He'd written the word; that one word I'd been so afraid of uttering. Perhaps it meant nothing. Lots of people said it at the end of letters, absently, without putting any thought into it. But I held onto the hope that maybe, just maybe, it meant something more – something real.

"You look like you just fell in love." I was brought from my thoughts by Katherine who appeared in front of me. I sat on the couch in our living room, legs curled up beneath me, letter held tightly in my shaking hands. I looked up. She really wasn't too far off – and she knew it.

I just gave her a small smile. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Well," she said, slowly, "I just thought you might like to know that your Daddy just went into labor."

"What?" I yelled, jumping up in a panic. "When?"

"Just about a minute ago. I've already called Hinata. She'll be here in a few minutes." She patted me on the shoulder in a soothing manner. "It'll be alright, Destin. He's gone through this twice before."

In spite of the fact that somehow I knew Daddy would be okay, I couldn't help but worry. Would my little siblings be alright? I answered the door when the doorbell rang and gratefully let Hinata inside our house. She only had a small bag of utensils with her, but I knew she knew what she was doing. I led her up to my parents' bedroom where Daddy lay on the bed, panting as another contraction hit him.

The whole thing was a blur. I truthfully don't remember much – just a lot of screams coming from my Daddy and the rest of my family attempting to say soothing words. I stayed downstairs with Kira for the most part, trying to keep him distracted. He was too young still to really understand what was going on.

Many hours later, in the middle of the night, Katherine came down and told me that I had two healthy new siblings - a girl and a boy - and that Daddy was okay, just really tired. I held her onto her and cried, asking if I could see them. Kira opened his sleepy eyes and I held his hand as we climbed the stairs into my parents' room. Daddy lay of the bed, eyes drooping after so many hours in labor, but he looked ecstatic, smiling breath-takingly at the two new additions to our family. Dad was curled up next to him, looking like he had just been given the world. They each held a baby.

I stepped forward, finding myself biting back tears: the picture before me was so wonderful. My parents looked up at us, both grinning tiredly. Daddy held a baby out toward me and I carefully took it into my arms. It was a girl. I held her close to my chest, gently caressing her head which held a small amount of dark hair. A sister. I had a sister. We would finally have another girl in the house beside Katherine. She opened her eyes, taking in the world around her. Her eyes were huge and entirely black, just like Dad's. I touched her toes, held onto her fingers, amazed at how small all of her digits were.

After a few moments, I handed her back. Daddy looked like he was already having withdrawal from her. I wondered if he was like that when I was born. Kira, in spite of his sleepiness crawled on the bed beside my parents and started talking to the babies. I asked Dad if I could hold my brother and he placed him in my arms. My little brother was the exact replica of Daddy: brilliant blue eyes and blonde hair. I could tell by that spark in his eyes that he was already a trouble maker.

"What are their names?" I asked, glancing up at my family.

Dad and Daddy looked at each other and then at me. Then Daddy said, "Would you like to name them?"

What? Name them? I looked at the small baby I held in my arms. How could I capture that feeling that I felt at this very moment; that overwhelming feeling of happiness? "Why me?" I whispered.

"Because," said Daddy, "you deserve it."

I placed my brother back in Dad's arms, saying, "Thank you. Give me a little time to think about it."

And think I did. I ended up not getting a wink of sleep that night. I ran through every name I had ever heard, but none of them seemed right. Finally, after hours and hours of pondering, I had it. My sister's name would be "Aurora" because she was so lovely, it was as though all the colors of the rainbow had been formed together to make her. My brother's would be named "Rainey" because of the bright blue color of his eyes.

I waited until I heard the sounds of everyone else waking up before I opened the door of my bedroom to give them my verdict. I walked into my parents' room. Dad was awake, looking lovingly down into the cradle which held the twins. Silently, I stood next to him. Finally, he looked up at me, surprising me by the tears shining in his eyes. He gave me a big hug, which I willingly gave back. Then, he said, "This is the first time both Naruto and I will be here right from the beginning." I nodded. Yes, that was true. After my birth, they weren't officially 'together' yet and after Kira's birth Daddy went into a coma for nearly three years.

We stayed like that for awhile until we heard Daddy stir and ask, "Did you come up with names?"

"Yeah," I said and took a deep breath and sitting on the bed, afraid they may not like what I had chosen. "Aurora for the girl and Rainey for the boy."

Daddy looked at me in surprise, but it turned out to be the good kind of surprised. "Oh, Destin, they're beautiful names."

I flinched before I could help myself. I fought back the tears, determined not to let them fall. I had to get over this; had to get on with my life. Daddy brought me into a hug, whispering his apologies. He'd always been so in tune with me, knowing that word hurt me, and yet sometimes it slipped out and he always felt bad afterward. I hugged him, saying that it was okay; it wasn't his fault I was this way.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

Aurora and Rainey soon adapted to life in our house, waking us up nearly every night and bringing joy to us during the day. I sent Kei back a letter telling him about them.

Only about two weeks after their birth, I already had to head back to school. I'd grown to love the twins and I really didn't want to leave; but I had Kei to look forward to at school, though I didn't look forward to the talk we would need to have which was long overdue.

As I walked into the school, I realized that it looked differently to me now: not quite so big; not quite so overwhelming. This year I would no longer be a freshman; no longer be a newbie. I'd gotten a letter over the summer asking if I'd be willing to give lessons to some of the students for credit. Although I doubted my teaching skills, I'd said yes.

I walked across the wide lawn and up to the dormitories. Dorm assignments were posted on the main doors and I was happy to find that I was still rooming with Kei in the same room we had been before. I tentatively made my way up the familiar stairs and to the door of my room. I opened the door, taking a deep breath. Kei was there, sitting in a chair and staring out the window, seemingly lost in thought. I tiptoed up to him, covering his eyes with my hands. "Guess who."

"Destin?" he whispered.

I took my hands away and looked into his green eyes – those eyes I'd missed so much. He grasped my wrist and put his hand on the back of my neck, pulling me in for a kiss. I melted against him. When he finally leaned back, I sat in his lap, taking his hand and putting it on my heart. Our eyes met. "No more secrets," I said. "Only the truth."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Babblings: **Well I certainly hope you enjoyed this chapter. Yay! There are two new additions to their family! I wasn't mean to Naruto this time. Be thankful. Ha.

Please review. I know you want to. I means the world to me.


	10. I'll Be

**Lights** _**and**_ **Sounds**

_Chapter_ **Ten: I**_'_l**l** _B_e

**Babblings:** Thank you guys so much for your reviews. I'm glad you're all happy Destin and Kei are back together again. But this is not even close to the end of their story. Be prepared for some more angst. In this chapter, you'll learn all about Kei's past, although it's not as shocking as you may think. Enjoy.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**I'll be your crying shoulder. I'll be love suicide. I'll be better when I'm older. I'll be the greatest fan of your life.**

_-Edwin McCain_ "I'll Be"

"Are you sure?' Kei asked, squeezing my hands and looking at me with worried eyes.

"Yes," I said, nodding. Even though I never wanted to talk about this, I had to. If I wanted to be with Kei, he had to know the truth. An annoying voice inside me kept saying that he would be disgusted and not want to be with me when he knew. Whether that was true or not, he still deserved the truth.

Kei didn't say anything for awhile. He just held me tightly against his chest as I gathered my thoughts. Then, abruptly, he stood, with me still in his arms, and carried me bridal-style to his bed. When I gave him a questioning look, he just said, "I thought it would be more comfortable," and pulled me flush against his body.

I let out a deep breath, closing my eyes and breathing in his scent, hoping dearly it wouldn't be the last time I'd be able to. Then, I said it in one rush of air: "I was raped when I was nine years old." I flinched at my own words. That was the first time I had mentioned it to anyone. Maybe this was a sign I was healing – that I would be able to tell Kei what happened to me.

Kei tensed against me and I thought for a moment he was going to go away. He surprised me, by placing a comforting kiss on my head, sentimental tears forming in his eyes. It was then I knew I could tell Kei everything. He wasn't going to leave.

"After my brother, Kira's, birth," I continued, backtracking a little, "my Daddy slipped into a coma for almost three years. In those years, a man named," I nearly choked on my own words, "O-oroch-chimaru… came onto my Dad. Right when my Daddy awoke from his coma, he saw the two of them kissing, though Dad didn't do anything. Dad told… the man… off once and for all. In revenge…" My voice trailed off as the memories of that night returned vividly in my mind's eye. "He… kidnapped Kira and I and took us to his apartment… And that's w-when…" My lips quivered as I attempted to hold back my tears. Kei understood; I didn't need to say more. He held me as silent tears dripped down my cheeks.

Then, he asked, slowly, as though he didn't want his words to hurt me, "Is that why you hate the word…?"

I nodded. "H-he called me… b-beaut-tif-ful s-several times." I couldn't believe I'd actually muttered that word; that cursed word. As if on cue, the pain of what had been done to me came back full force. I whimpered and clung to Kei as though he was the only thing keeping me sane – maybe he was.

"I'm so sorry, Des," Kei said, rubbing my back in gentle circles. "That's what your nightmares are about, aren't they?"

"Yeah," I murmured. "Without you, I relive it nearly every night."

"From now on, you won't have t worry about me not being near. I'll be here for you, always."

A silence neither comfortable nor awkward stretched between us. "Y-you don't think I'm d-disgusting?" I stammered out, thinking Kei would be crazy not to think I was disgusting. I'd already lost my innocence, long before I should have. Most people my age haven't done it consensually yet, let alone non-consensually.

"No, Destin." He took my chin in his large hands and forced me to look him in the eyes. "You are not disgusting. You are the most wonderful, loving person I have ever laid eyes on. If anyone ever tells you otherwise, I'll be there to make sure they pay for it."

Blinking away the tears in my eyes, I touched his cheek in a silent thank you. But our talk wasn't over yet. He still had to tell me his story – and I had to fill in all the missing pieces. Kei read my mind, as always, and closed his eyes, beginning his tale:

"It's always just been me and my father. I never knew my mother. Supposedly, she was very young and my dad had sex with her when he found her on the streets. He took her in when they found out she was pregnant, but he didn't stay faithful to her, going on dates with pretty much anyone and everyone. He's always swung both ways and as a young child I had to deal with all his latest consorts. None of them liked me much, just as I didn't like them. Sometimes they beat me, but not too badly. None of my dad's relationships ever lasted long, though." He let out an exasperated sigh as though his memories pained him as much as mine did. "When I was still small, he got the job as principal here and we've lived here ever since. I've always been in the dark about everything. I don't even know my mother's name."

"I do," I said, softly, almost in a whisper. The words came out before I could stop them. At his astonished expression, I said, "She's closer than you think."

"How long?" Kei inquired. "How long have you known?"

"Well, I've known your mom ever since I was born, but I didn't find out she was your mother until… that day… when I fainted." I turned my face away in shame. It was so unfair that I have always known Sakura and Kei has never even met her, his own mother. But I'd known for quite some time now that life isn't fair at all – not in the least. "You know Ino-san? Your mother is Ino-san's life partner. They've been together longer than my parents. Her name is Sakura. She's Katherine's surrogate daughter."

Kei's green eyes bored into my own. I thought maybe he'd be angry at me, and maybe he was, but instead of yelling, he burst out laughing. I loved his laugh – I always have; always will. It's a sweet melody in my sensitive ears. Still, I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows at him. When his laughter finally died down, he let out a last chuckle and said, "It's a small world, huh?"

"It's larger than you think," I said, cuddling close to him, "and I want to explore all of it with you."

That night, nuzzled in bed with Kei, my dreams were naught but a whisper.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

The next day, the day before the beginning of classes, I dragged Kei with me to track Ino down, determined to at least let him meet his mother. I'm sure he still had burning questions: Why did she leave him? Why did she not come looking for him before? Those same questions ran through my mind, but they were not mine to ask.

It didn't take long to find her: she was in her classroom, rearranging desks and getting everything organized for the school year. She looked rather pleased to see us and wrapped me in a secure hug. "What's up?"

I stood back so I could see her face. "We need to talk to Sakura."

"Why?" she asked, out of simple curiosity.

Kei and I shared a glance before I said, "It's really important."

"Alright," she said, rolling her eyes. "You're in luck. She actually just went back out to the car to grab some more boxes."

I gave her a quick squeeze and a thank you before bounding out of the room and down to the parking lot, Kei in tow behind me. Suddenly, I felt him stop, jerking me to a halt in front of him. "Hold on a moment," he said. "Just give me a second." I nodded as he gazed off into the wide blue sky, mentally preparing himself. After a couple of minutes, he looked down at me and brought me into a hug. It was times like this when I was reminded of how much bigger and taller and stronger than me he really was. I folded into his arms just like a small child would. Then he once again took my hand, a habit we could not let go of, and finished leading the way to the parking lot.

We met Sakura on the front steps of the school, a large box in her arms. She paused at the sight of us and set down her box. "Hi, Destin. Nice to see you. Who's this?" she asked, gesturing to Kei, standing next to me, protectively.

"T-this," I stuttered, "is Kei. Your son."

They met eyes – green against green; the sign that they were really related. I suddenly felt the need to go, but Kei placed a firm hand around my arm, his fingers completely wrapping around it and meeting at the other side. He wanted me to stay, but somehow I felt as though I were intruding.

"Kei?" Sakura asked, tentatively, stepping toward Kei, her own flesh and blood, an arm outstretched. "Is it really–?"

Kei once again became the unreadable person I once knew him to be. He stiffened and I wondered if maybe I shouldn't have done this; shouldn't have told Kei about his mother. But no, I couldn't do that now. No secrets. I wasn't going to let secrets tear us apart again. I laced my arm through Kei's in a comforting gesture. I couldn't tell if he was angry or happy – perhaps a bit of both. "Are you really my mom?" he asked.

Sakura touched Kei's cheek with a soft, pale hand. "Our eyes…"

Then Kei did something surprising: he let go of my arm and wrapped his arms around her. I stepped back and watched the spectacle before me. He was quite a bit taller than her, but there was something about them that was just so… alike. Maybe it was the way they held themselves. Maybe it was their character. I'm not quite sure what it was, but they reminded me of… family. "Give me time," Kei said, pulling back and once again taking hold of my hand.

I felt Sakura's eyes on our hands and a blush rose to my cheeks. "I'm happy for you," she told me and leaned down to pick her box back up. As I watched her climb back up the stairs, I couldn't help but feel a little depressed even though it could have gone a lot worse. I couldn't expect them to be chummy on their first meeting.

"Thank you," Kei muttered, kissing the top of my head, lightly. I tilted my head up toward him and pressed my lips against his. I remembered our first kiss, just after Christmas last year. There'd been so many bruises on his perfect skin the next day. I'd come such a long way from then. Now, I loved his kisses – and I couldn't ever seem to get enough of them. I hoped it would always be this way between us.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

We met up with Kaya, Ryo, and Rika at breakfast the next morning before classes. Rika pounced on me, asking how my summer had been. I replied very vaguely, but she seemed to be satisfied. Kaya and Ryo kept staring into each other's eyes, which led me to believe that maybe they'd finally gotten together after making googily-eyes at each other all last year. Kei kept close to me, an arm resting casually on my shoulders throughout the meal.

"So are you two finally together?' Ryo asked, surprising me so much I nearly fell out of my chair. I coughed and looked to Kei for help. I'd truly never thought about it like that. Kei and I… we just _were_. There was really no word for it, though I suppose we were together now.

Kei leaned in close – I could feel his breath on my skin. What was he doing? Then he pressed his lips against mine – right in the middle of the cafeteria! When he finally pulled back, he smirked and shoveled another spoonful of cereal into his mouth. "Does that answer your question?"

I glared at Kei. Many eyes were staring at us. I heard then the tell-tale sign of a very angry Amai storming toward us. I groaned and covered my head with my arms. I'd let Kei deal with her. He's the one that started this. We'd spent most of last year avoiding that girl at all costs, but I suppose you could only escape the inevitable for so long.

"What the _hell_ was that?" Amai yelled.

"That was me kissing my boyfriend," he said, nonchalantly.

My eyes widened at him. Boyfriend? I guess that's what I would be called since we were now 'together'. Still, the word sounded so foreign to me.

Amai seemed slightly taken aback. She gasped for words before sputtering out, "I hate you!"

Kei just shrugged and said, "At least the feeling's mutual."

With that, the pretty girl marched off, leaving us all in a fit of giggles.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

The first day of classes was interesting to say the least. I was exempt from several classes since I had already taken many of the ones they offered. I spent half the day teaching freshmen who all stared at me as though I were a god or something. They were all nice though – all except one boy by the name of Haruhi. He was like a bouncing ball of sugar and energy. By the end of our half-hour lesson, I had a pounding headache. At least he had a good bit of talent – obviously, or else he wouldn't have gotten into the music school.

After lunch I had English, Chemistry II, and P.E. For some reason, Kei seemed overly protective of me in the locker room. When I asked him why, he said it was because he wanted to keep me away from prying eyes.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted. I could barely change into my pajamas and climb into Kei's bed. I fell asleep once again curled up against him, my head on his chest.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

"Haruhi, arch your fingers a little more, please," I said, exasperatedly.

The boy sitting next to me on the piano bench eyed me suspiciously and ignored my comment. "Is it true that you are dating Kei?" he asked.

"Don't ask such rude questions," I warned.

This was my trouble-making student. I had to put every brain cell to work just to retain my sanity while teaching him. It was also kind of weird because he was only a few months younger than me and was quite a bit bigger. Even though this was only our fifth lesson together, I could already see this was going to be a long year. I tried to remember why I'd said I would teach freshmen.

"Are you?" he asked again.

"Yes, okay?" I snapped. "Not that it's any of your business. Now play that line again and _arch your fingers more_."

To my eternal gratefulness, he did as I told him.

Yes, this was going to be a long year.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

"You okay?" Kei asked as I popped a couple of aspirin in my mouth and rubbed my temples, willing my migraine to go away.

"Yeah," I said, sitting in his lap. "One of my students is frustrating, that's all."

"Oh," he said, giving me a gentle backrub, his ministrations making me feel way better already. "I worry about you, Des."

"I'll be fine. I won't break, Kei. Don't worry so much."

"I know." He chewed on his bottom lip in that cute manner he has. "I know." He wrapped his arms around me, bringing me close to his chest as though he were holding a baby or small child. I let out a happy sigh.

And all was well and good until I woke up one morning to Kei's erection jabbing into my side.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Babblings**: Ha. I'm sorry. I just HAD to add that last line – just to make you people hate me… in a good way, I hope.

So review! They make me update faster.


	11. Blind

**Lights** _**and**_ **Sounds**

_Chapter_ **Eleven: B**_l_i**n**_d_

**Babblings: **I have to say I received rather mixed emotions from the last chapter. Several of you hated me for the last line; others of you thought it was hilarious. Either way, I hope you aren't disappointed. For those of you begging me to make them do _stuff_, you'll have to wait a little longer. Destin isn't ready for it yet and he doesn't want to become a mommy in high school. Also, I just wanted to say that so far this is the longest story I've written on FFN.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**After all this time, I never thought we'd be here, never thought we'd be here. Well my love for you is blind… I love you more than you'll ever know.**

_-Lifehouse_ "Blind"

They say that love is blind.

I always said I would never fall prey to that saying, but indeed, in many ways, I have, unwillingly and unknowingly. Part of it may be my naïveté. In spite of my no longer being a virgin, I am still completely oblivious to the ways of sexuality. I am blind: I couldn't see that this was going to happen sooner or later. It was so obvious we loved each other, yet neither of us had said those words yet. Perhaps Kei was just as blind as I – or maybe he was scared, just like me.

Telling myself not to freak out, I carefully untangled myself from Kei's strong arms and climbed out of the bed. I was strong enough not to make a big deal out of this. It happened to everyone, right? I mean, it wasn't such a big deal to wake up with an erection. Truthfully, I should have been surprised it hadn't happened sooner.

Our rocking chair beckoned to me. I sat in it, pulling my knees up to my chest and staring out our large window toward the field separating the school and our dorms. Already, Jack Frost was reaching out his long fingers, snatching away the leaves from the trees and stealing the green of the grass. His breath put a chill in the air. The corners of the window were frosted up. Hopefully, it would be at least a little warmer when I finally felt motivated enough to get up and do something. That's what I so loved about Saturdays: I could laze about until early afternoon and no one cared.

I risked a look to Kei. He was still sleeping peacefully, though he looked as though he were missing something – or someone. I so wanted to crawl back into his arms and sleep off the exhausting week, but I didn't know if I'd be able to handle it. So instead I pulled back the sheets of my bed – the bed that hadn't been used yet this year. The sheets felt cold and too-clean against my skin. After a few minutes they had warmed up to my body heat and I fell into a troubled sleep.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

When I awoke again it was to the smell of hot chocolate wafting into my nose. My eyes fluttered wearily open and my eyes met the sad eyes of Kei's. He held the steaming mug out to me and I took a grateful sip. For some reason, I was reminded of how my Dad always gave Daddy hot chocolate whenever he was troubled. I could see the love in their eyes. The drink warmed my insides and soothed my shivering.

"It's cold in here," he said, simply. "I think our heater stopped working sometime in the night. I thought you might need something to get you warm again."

"Thank you," I replied, closing my eyes as I felt tears beginning to form in my blue orbs. He knew me well; he knew I'd be cold without him beside me. It was so like him not to mention whatever had happened between us and yet I knew he knew exactly what had made me so upset.

"Hey," he whispered in my ear as he wrapped his arms around me, the bed sinking slightly under his weight. "Hey," he repeated. "Don't cry. There's no need to cry, Des. No reason at all."

"I'm sorry," I sniffled, wiping away my tears, annoyed with myself.

He took my hand firmly in his own to stop my fierce rubbing and looked me deeply in the eyes. "Destin, stop it," he said, sternly. I lowered my eyes, suddenly ashamed of myself for being so weak and helpless. He didn't seem to like this either. "Please look at me." The tone of his voice surprised me then. He seemed to be nearly begging.

So I looked up, blinking away the last of my tears. "Talk to me," he choked out, leaning against me and resting his head in the crook of my neck. I shook my head, confused, but slipped my hands around his back, pulling us closer together. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to, Des. You just... do these things to me that I can't explain. I want to have you so bad, but I will wait for an eternity if I have to."

My breathing hitched in my throat; I couldn't seem to get words to form. No one had ever said something so… romantic to me before. In a way, I wanted him to have me right then and there, but I wasn't ready for that yet – as shown by the little episode this morning which had started all of this. Besides, what if I had inherited the gene from Daddy which allowed me to bear children? Sure, there were ways of preventing it, but did I really want to risk it?

"I… love you," I finally managed to mutter out. Then I looked up at Kei in horror. That was definitely not what I'd meant to say, but it is what had been on my heart. So what if I wasn't even sixteen yet? Kei was the only person for me. Some said you never, ever found true love in high school, but I'd found mine.

Kei's eyes brightened considerably at my words and he suddenly planted a kiss on my lips, so lovingly and gentle it's impossible to describe – such things are beyond words, beyond understanding. When we finally pulled away, he grinned magnificently and said, "Oh, Destin, I love you, too. I love you so much."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

Needless to say, I soon became used to Kei waking up with an erection. After awhile I just didn't let it bother me. I had better things to worry about – like Haruhi.

The kid just didn't leave me alone. He seemed to have made it his goal in life to see if he could make me angry. Nearly every day, he asked me annoying, personal, and rather embarrassing questions. After a few more weeks, he really began to grate on my nerves. I was thankful that I only had lessons with him every other day or else I think I'd have lost my mind. When I saw him during school, he made a show of pointing me out to his cronies.

Kei knew something was bothering me, but he didn't ask about it and I didn't have the energy to tell him about it.

"Let's go into the city tomorrow," Kaya said excited one day in late October during lunch. "We can celebrate Kei's birthday."

That's right, I remembered in a hurry. Kei's birthday was tomorrow and I hadn't bought him anything. If we went into Konoha, then I would have the perfect opportunity to get him something. Plus, it would get me away from the school, which was beginning to feel as though it were closing in on me. "Sounds good to me," I said, squeezing Kei's hand under the table. Rika and Ryo readily agreed.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

_Destin,_

_We all miss you more than ever now. I think even Rainey and Aurora miss you though they are still far too young to recognize you as their brother. Thank you for naming them. Their names are so perfect. Your Dad is spoiling them rotten and Kira is acting the part of the perfect big brother. He's so enthusiastic about everything. For awhile, he seemed to think that we were ignoring him, but now he realizes that they just need a lot of attention and he is doing his best to help out. Thank you so much for your help while you were here. I hope everything went well with you and Kei. (Katherine informed me of what you had told her. I hope you don't mind.) We'd love to have him visit over Christmas with you. By that time we'll have finished moving into our new house. I know you were rather reluctant to move, but I think you'll love the house we picked out. It's huge, but great for our growing family. We all send our best wishes and love._

_Love,_

_Daddy_

Iruka had handed me the letter just as me and my friends were heading out for the day. I'd read the letter on the train into the city. When I was finished, I passed it to Kei who'd looked curious. No more secrets, I told myself.

When he was finished, Kei looked up with a grin on his face. "Rainey and Aurora," he said. "Those are lovely names." He leaned in a pressed a chaste kiss on my lips, causing our friends to look at us with eyebrows raised. "So would you like me to come with you over Christmas Break?"

"I'd love you to," I replied with a soft smile.

"Oh quit being so lovey-dovey," Ryo said with a feigned disgusted look, sticking out his tongue. "I mean, I'm glad you guys are together and all, but there are some things I'd rather not see."

Rika and Kaya giggled and covered their mouths with their hands, as though sharing a secret. They were like our own little fan club and I loved them to death.

"So," I said, playfully punching Kei in the arm. "Where are we going, birthday boy?"

"Yeah," interjected Rika. "Pick anywhere you'd like."

He closed his eyes for a moment, as though pondering his options, his long, dark eyelashes falling over his high cheek bones. "Well, I'd like to take Destin to the mall. Maybe we could go to a movie after. The theater in the mall is nice."

"Oh, I love the mall," said Kaya. "I think that's something we can all agree on, don't you think?"

After we'd all nodded our consent, we got off at the next stopped and stepped into the busy streets of downtown Konoha. I instinctively reached for Kei's hand and he took it without even a second glance. Homosexuality wasn't such a rare thing in Konoha, yet it was still frowned upon by some people. We felt some glares and odd looks, but ignored them. They didn't matter. All that mattered was Kei and I, here hanging out with our friends. We walked the short distance to the mall. When we finally rounded the corner I found myself astonished at the shear size of it.

"You'll get used to it," stated Rika. "It's really not too bad to navigate."

At least it would be a good place to shop for a present for Kei – if I could get away from him, that is.

We shopped around for awhile until we got hungry and decided to stop in the food court. Kei bought my food in spite of my protests of saying that it was his birthday and I wasn't a girl so he didn't need to pay for me. I was pretty frustrated by this time, too, because thus far I hadn't been able to come up with a reasonable excuse to get away. Kaya and Rika surprised me by seeming to sense my distress. As I finished my last bite of starchy, cardboard-like pizza, Kaya grabbed my arm, saying, "You boys go off and do something. Rika and I've got something to do with Destin. We'll meet you back here in an hour." Before either boy could answer, I was being dragged away by two enthusiastic girls.

"What are you doing?" I asked when they finally slowed down.

"You need to buy something for Kei, right?" asked Rika. "Well, we think we have a perfect store for you to pick out a present."

I walked arm in arm with them for quite some time until they led me inside a store which reeked heavily of incense. I closed my eyes, allowing my other senses to take over for a moment. When I opened them again, my eyes revealed an interestingly decorated store – almost gothic. "You think Kei'd like something out of here?" I asked.

"You'd be surprised," Kaya giggled. "He's always enjoyed this kind of stuff, every since he was little."

Intrigued, I peered around the little shop. The man behind the counter eyed me curiously, as though he didn't think I'd be the type to come into a store like this. Truthfully, I wasn't, but the shop was beginning to grow on me.

Then I saw it, placed haphazardly partway behind a dark purple drape. I picked it up. It was the perfect weight in my hands: not too light, not too heavy. It was a pendant of two swords crossed, with a small green gem in the middle in the shape of a heart. I'd never seen something quite so lovely in my entire life.

I brought it up to the counter; Rika and Kaya were busy sniffing at some of the incense and laughing softly. "I'll buy this," I said.

The man looked up at me and then at the pendant I held in my hands. "Ah yes," he said, his eyes lighting up. "That there symbolizes true love, through thick and thin, through love and war. You must really have someone special."

"Yes," I said, nodding, "very special."

"It'll be fifty dollars." He eyed me as though he felt guilty for charging so much, but I willingly handed over the credit card Dad had given me, saying I could use it whenever I needed it. I think this was the first I'd ever used it. Kei was worth way more than fifty dollars. I slipped the pendant in my jeans' pocket and gave the man a last smile before grabbing Rika and Kaya and ushering them out the door.

"Did you get anything?" Kaya asked.

I just shrugged my shoulders and looked toward the ceiling innocently. "You'll see."

When we arrived back in the food court, Ryo and Kei were already waiting for us. I immediately ran into Kei's arms; he pulled me close to him. "So what did you guys do with my Destin?" he asked.

'My Destin.' He'd never used those words in such a way before. Yes, I was his, owned completely and totally by him.

The girls smirked and shook their heads. "Nothing at all."

From there, we went to the movie theater. The girls begged to go to a romantic comedy; Ryo, I'm pretty sure, would do anything Kaya wanted to do; and Kei and I were kind of neutral; so we bought our tickets and settled into the back row of the theater. I'd never been to the movies before, so this was a whole new spectacle to me. It never ceased to amaze me how much I missed out on life. I leaned my head against Kei's shoulder toward the beginning of the movie, but by the end I was nearly sitting on his lap – not that I minded. It was my favorite place to be. The entire time, the necklace in my pocket rubbed against my leg. I wondered when the best time would be to give it to him – maybe that night when we were by ourselves once more.

As we exited the theater, I heard someone snigger behind me. I quickly whipped around and found myself face-to-face with Haruhi. "What, can't you even walk ten feet without your boyfriend holding onto you?" he sneered.

"Who do you think–" started Kei, but I interrupted him by putting a finger to his lips.

"I can handle this," I said, determinably. I stepped forward, letting go of Kei's hand, until Haruhi and I were only a couple inches. "I'm sick of you," I hissed. "You have no respect for anyone."

He chuckled ominously. "So what are you going to do about it?"

BAM!

My fist came out of nowhere and nailed him right on the cheek, sending him sprawling to the ground. "That's what I'm going to do about it," I sniffed and stormed back past my friends and out the doors of the mall.

"Destin?" Kei's voice asked a moment later. "I didn't know you could do that," he said, standing beside me.

"Neither did I," I replied honestly. "That boy just makes me so angry. He's had that coming for quite some time."

Kei laughed a bit and said, "But he's twice your size."

"I know," I said. "I don't think I've ever hit anyone before." Then a tinge of red found its way to my cheeks as I remembered the night I'd basically beaten Kei. "At least not when I'm in my right mind."

"Yeah," Kei said teasingly. "Your punches hurt like hell." With that, he swept me up into a kiss.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

That night when we were safely tucked away in bed, I handed Kei the pendant I'd found earlier in the day. It was unwrapped, but Kei didn't even seem to notice. His eyes glowed with happiness.

"It's beaut-" he began, but stopped, tensing.

"Say it," I said, quietly, after a long, awkward moment. "Say the word."

He waited a moment, eyeing me cautiously. "It's beautiful," he finally breathed out, bringing my body closer to his. Only two tears slipped from my eyes and the pain in my heart lasted only but a minute. And then everything was alright. I reached for the necklace, clasping it behind his neck. It looked perfect on him, the green of the stone matching his eyes.

"Thank you," he said, putting my head under his chin and breathing in deeply. "I love you."

"Happy birthday," I whispered. "I love you too – more than you'll ever know."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Babblings:** The idea for the shop Destin goes into actually came from my little excursion in the huge mall in Edmonton, Canada. (I think it's the biggest in the world, which is kinda weird 'cause it's this huge city in the middle of no-man's-land.) Anyways the store was oh-so-cool and I got into a weird conversation with the guy behind the counter about pot. Yep, Canadians and their pot. And yes, Destin kicks ass. Yay Destin!

Please review. Reviews make me very giddy.


	12. Someday We'll Know

**Lights** _**and**_ **Sounds**

_Chapter_ **Twelve: S**_o_m**e**_d_a**y** _W_e**'**_l_l **K**_n_o**w**

**Babblings: **Firstly, I'd just like to say that I got my first flame for this story. It made me laugh, too. The person couldn't even spell 'grammar' correctly. And it wasn't even signed. Secondly, maybe I should mention Canada more often, because I got reviews from some of you who have never reviewed before just because I talked (briefly) about Canada. Thirdly, if any of you are looking for a great book, read _Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You_ by Peter Cameron. I just finished it; it's fantastically written. In many ways, the main character, James, reminds me of Destin.

I apologize for the really large time skip in this chapter. I found it necessary. Sadly, I believe this story will be coming to a close rather soon. Also, I think the end of this story will be the end of this series. As much as I'm in love with these characters, I don't want to over-use them. I have several new ideas for new stories which I will explain probably in the author's note of the next chapter when I have them properly formulated in my head.

**WARNING: This chapter contains sexual content. (Finally.)**

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Someday we'll know this love can move a mountain. Someday we'll know why the sky is blue.**

_-The New Radicals_ "Someday We'll Know"

Sometimes I wonder things. Illogical things. Irrelevant things. Things that have already been proved by science. Others that haven't. But I wonder them anyway. Why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green? Why hasn't the sun burned us all by now? Will the world ever end? Is there life outside our small little world? Why do many people go hungry while I eat three, wonderful meals every day? Is there a god? Why am I so talented in music – a gift which can be both a blessing and a curse? Why has Kei stayed with me even through all my tantrums? Will that gene my father inherited pass down to me? Should I risk having sex with Kei?

This last question was the one on the top of my mind. I think Kei is becoming sexually frustrated. Some mornings and evenings I hear him in the bathroom, making noises which definitely were not the sounds of going to the bathroom. I should feel bad, and I do. Even Ryo and Kaya, who have only technically been together for four months, have already made love. They are so hopelessly in love. Have been for a long time. It just took them ages to realize it.

Kei grew up over the last year or so. He shot up a couple more inches and he filled out a little more. His hair is longer, in a shaggy, adorable way, and he's taken to relaxing his uniform a bit, occasionally 'forgetting' to clasp the last button or to tuck in his shirt. I'm pretty sure this is what they call 'the rebellious phase' in a teenager's life. Who are 'they' anyway? This has always been another one of my wonderings. Everyone always brings up "well they say this" and "they say that". But who are 'they'. It's never made sense to me.

We're all juniors now. The time has blown by so quickly, too quickly to hold within my fingers. Where did it go? Really, where does time go? Once it's gone, it has to go somewhere, right? It only makes sense. Then again, perhaps it only makes sense to people like me. People who have always been different. I'm okay with myself now, though, for the most part. Haruhi stopped giving me trouble after I punched him. I think maybe I scared him into submission or something of that sort. He's still annoying and too hyper, but no one can have everything. I still teach him now, a year or more later.

"Destin!" he yelled, making me jump in my place of the bed.

I grumbled to myself and opened the door to the bathroom where he was currently showering. I'd seen him naked many times before so I didn't think much about it when I stepped in and saw him nude and staring at me from the shower. "You used all the hot water," he said, a smirk on his face.

"No," I said, raising an eyebrow. Before I'd left the shower, I'd made certain hot water remained. "You've lost it. Thanks for making me get out of my comfortable position on our bed."

In the blink of an eye, I suddenly found myself in the shower next to a very bare Kei and drenching myself, clothes and all, in the running water. I glared daggers at Kei, who still had a hold of my wrist which he had use as leverage to drag me in. "That was uncalled for," I hissed.

His only reply was to laugh and pull me against him. I've also grown several inches over the last year, but I'm still only tall enough to reach his shoulders. Somehow, though, we fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. His fresh smell and the fact that I could feel _that_ part of him, even through my soaked clothes, momentarily made me forget I was supposed to be angry with him for getting me in this situation. Along with his 'rebellious phase' has come a phase I like to call 'egotistically funny.' Don't get me wrong, I still love him, now more than ever, but sometimes, with things like this, he really gets on my nerves.

"You're so cute," he said, abruptly completely serious. The tone in his voice almost scared me. It was the voice of someone who wanted something. It was the same voice Orochimaru had used the night he raped me. I tried to tell myself that Kei wasn't like that man, that Kei loved me and he'd never hurt me, and that I was over what had happened and it didn't matter anymore.

I bit back a scream and pushed him away from me, scampering from the shower and back into our room, dripping water all over our clean carpet. I quickly ripped off my clothes and threw them into our makeshift hamper, pulling on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. Then I fell into the bed, whimpering and curling into a ball, attempting to understand what had just come over me. Even though that had happened nearly eight years ago, sometimes, at moments like this, that man still haunts me, though I had managed to become fairly normal in every other aspect of my life. Occasionally, I really hate myself and it's a wonder Kei doesn't hate me too.

A few seconds later, the door to the bathroom opened. Kei curled up beside me on the bed, wrapping his arms around me as my body shook. At least I wasn't a sobbing mess. There were no tears this time. "I'm sorry, Des," he whispered, calmingly, into my ear. "I didn't mean for it to turn out like that."

"I know," I said, softly. "I've got to learn to stop doing that."

He nodded and then appeared as though a brilliant thought had just occurred to him. "I know I said I'd wait forever," he began, looking at me straight in the eyes, my blue eyes meeting his green. I was looking at the same Kei I'd met two years prior. I felt a chill come over my body. "But I think I know the cure for you and it means facing your fears to overcome them." I nodded, realizing just what he was saying to me. "Besides," he said with his characteristic grin, "it's Saturday and it's freezing outside."

Closing my eyes, I leaned back on the bed, going over my options. He was right, I knew. It was like when you get immunization shots, they inject a little of the disease you don't want to contract into your blood stream, to 'cure' you of the disease. Maybe the only way for me to fully heal was to know what it's like to be intimate with someone other than a rapist.

"Okay," I said at long last, trying to force Orochimaru's face from my mind. "But you have to promise me that you'll use protection. Please, Kei. We don't know if I inherited the gene to bear children from my Dad and I really, _really_ don't want to become a… teenage mother. Promise."

"Of course," he said, reaching into the top drawer of his nightstand and pulling out a package of condoms, which had obviously been waiting diligently for their moment to be used.

"You've been thinking about this for a long time."

"Yeah," he confirmed, kissing me gently upon the lips. "Ever since the first time I ever laid eyes on you."

"A-are you serious?" I sputtered.

"That first night you arrived, when I walked into the room I seriously thought an angel had landed on the bed. You were so lovely. Everything…" His voice trailed off for a moment, as though carefully picking out his words. "Everything about you is so perfect. And your music… God, Destin I've never heard anything like it. I still haven't ruled out you being any angel."

I nearly laughed. "If I'm an angel, I'm definitely a fallen one."

"No," Kei said, easing me once again to my place against his bare chest, "you're merely misplaced."

When he said things like that I couldn't help but fall in love with him all over again. I reached out my pale fingers and ran them across the pendant on his neck which he's refused to take off ever since I'd fastened it so many months before.

He began to nip and suck at my neck, leaving, I'm sure, several love-bites in his wake. Before I knew it, I lay completely exposed before him. I forced every bad thought to stay away. I wanted this so badly and I was horribly turned on. I could see hickies all over my stomach. And I knew I was his, totally and completely his, to do with me however he pleased.

I held my hand out, motioning for him to come closer. When he did, I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing our completely naked bodies together for the first time. It felt as though my skin were on fire. Well, that's as close to words as I can get to describing it, as no words can truly express how I felt at that moment. We'd been waiting so long for this. And we'd finally done it.

But it wasn't over yet.

"You feel so good," he murmured in that same tone of voice he'd used in the shower. This time, I didn't flinch away; I forced myself not to. I ran his words over my tongue, repeating them in my head.

One of his hands slid down my body, lower, lower, lower, until I felt him insert something – a finger – into my entrance. I gasped, not really because it hurt, but rather because it caught me off guard. He wriggled it inside of me, bending and touching a spot inside of me I never knew existed. I let out a soft moan and then covered my mouth in embarrassment. Kei reached up with his free hand, grabbing my wrist. "It's okay," he said. "It's okay to make noise. That way I know if I'm hurting you or not and I'll know if I need to stop. It's really okay, Destin. I love you. I don't care what you sound like in bed. In fact," he smirked, "I want to hear you scream my name. Only my name. My name is the only one I ever want to hear falling from your lips." Our noses touched in what I believe they call an 'Eskimo kiss'. Something about it being too cold way up North to kiss without risking getting your lips stuck together.

"Always," I said, groaning again as he inserted two more fingers at once, spreading them apart to stretch me, I suppose. Was this how you were actually supposed to do it? Oroch– _he_ didn't do anything like this.

"Are you ready?" he asked after a couple minutes, his large green eyes staring up at me worriedly. I closed my own eyes, took a long, deep breath, and nodded. He pulled on a condom and wrapped my lean legs around his hips. "It might hurt a little more this way, but I want to be able to look into your eyes." At my nod, he pushed all the way into me.

I let out a scream, partially because it hurt, but mostly because all of my still-vivid memories poured through my mind, searing my head with the hurt they left behind. "Stop. Stop!" I yelled, kicking my legs wildly in an attempt to get him off of me.

But he wouldn't move. He refused to get off, instead pulling my small body against his larger one, stroking a hand calmingly through my hair. "Shh," he whispered. "Shh, it'll be alright. We'll get through this. I promise." Tears stung my eyes like acid. I hated myself. Hated myself for doing this to him.

"Move," I said when I had calmed down enough to speak. He was still inside of me, waiting patiently. "Move," I repeated.

"Des," he said, taking my chin and forcing me to look into his eyes. "I'm not going to do it unless you want to. That's rape. And I most definitely don't want to put you through that. You've already lived through it once."

"I want to," I replied. "But that man… his voice inside my head keeps telling me that I don't want that. That I want to remain miserable forever. Please," I begged. "Move. And don't stop."

Pausing for one last look of reassurance, he pulled nearly all the way back out and then thrust in again, this time directly hitting my sweet spot, causing me to moan loudly and arch my back off the bed in a feline-like way, all other thought gone from my head.

He set a pace, slow and steady, caring and loving, stroking my erection in time with his thrusts. I'm pretty sure every single romantic cliché applied to this one moment. I was lost in a heaven of pleasure and emotions. I could feel the intense love radiating off Kei, drowning me. And finally, I felt complete, as though I were finally free from the man who had kept me tied down for so many years.

After some time, I felt Kei's rhythm begin to be thrown off balance as he ran out of energy. I myself felt close to exploding. Finally, he thrust hard against my prostate one last time, causing me to scream out his name and cum all over both our stomachs. He came shortly afterward, collapsing against me.

"Hey, Kei," I said, yawning, after he had pulled out and thrown the used condom away, yanking the covers over us once again.

"Ngh."

"I love you."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

I awoke some time later to Kei's smiling face staring down at me. The bright sunlight was reflecting off the snow outside, causing his blonde hair to appear as though it were glowing. "You're so beautiful," he said.

A blush covered my face, but there was no pain in my heart.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Different," I replied honestly.

He raised an eyebrow, confusedly. "How so?"

"Well," I teased, noting the tingling in the lower part of my back, "for one thing, I'm really sore and I feel as though I need another shower. But there's more… I don't really know how to explain it…"

That's one of the things I hated about talking. There are never adequate words to describe what you are feeling. That's the beauty of music: you don't have to explain yourself. People can feel your emotions…

That gave me an idea. I tugged on his hand, dragging him off the bed, ignoring the pain in my back and the slight limp it gave me. "Put some clothes on."

He followed my instructions, but asked, "What are we doing?"

"I'm going to tell you how I feel."

After we were dressed, I lead him to the practice room with the piano Iruka had first shown me. Sitting on the bench, I motioned for him to do the same. Then I placed my fingers on the keys and just let my emotions flow into what I believe was the most beautiful – yes, beautiful – song I have ever composed. It described my happiness and my freedom, and, most of all, my love.

Maybe someday I will know the answers to all my questions. Maybe someday I'll know why the sky is blue or if people really can move mountains, but for right now I'm content just to be in the arms of the one I love.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Babblings: **I know this chapter is a little shorter than usual, but if I wrote any more it would just drag the chapter out. This is the first real lemon I've ever really written for this series. I don't write too many of them just simply because most of the time if you've read one you've read them all, but this sex scene is definitely important to the story. So… yeah.

Review. I wrote you a lemon, so you can at least reward me by leaving a comment.


	13. Keep Looking Up

**Lights** _**and**_ **Sounds**

_Chapter_ **Thirteen: K**_e_e**p** _L_o**o**_k_i**n**_g_ U**p**

**Babblings:** This story is not quite finished. I still need to tie up some loose ends. This chapter mostly just dwells on Kei and Sakura. After the sappiness of chapter twelve, be prepared for a bit more angst in his one. Yes, I know the lemon in the last chapter is more graphic than any I've done for this series thus far. Maybe I will (if you guys want) write a one-shot lemon just for Sasuke and Naruto as an epilogue of sorts, because you guys have stuck with this story for so long. Tell me what you think.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Keep looking up, on past the birds. Keep looking up past the clouds and when you reach up and clear away the stars, I will be there were you are. I will be there where you are.**

_-Landon Pigg_ "Keep Looking Up"

What does it mean to be happy? People are always talking about "the pursuit of happiness", but what does that really mean? Does it mean that you will spend your entire life pursuing happiness but never obtaining it? I know from personal experience that the world is a cruel place, but surely some people can possess true happiness and not just the faked kind behind which we hide our true anguish. True happiness is all I wish for Kei.

In spite of our newfound love for "making love", something was still off. Something still bothered him, and, because of my empathetic ways, it in turn bothered me. I knew it had to do with his parents. After our first run-in with Sakura, we'd only seen her as many times as I could count on one hand, which resulted in very awkward situations. They just needed to talk, but both of them were too stubborn to be the first to strike up conversation.

It was the week before Spring Break when I ran into Gaara-san and Sakura going at it again. I had just finished my last lesson of the day (Haruhi's personality had finally calmed down a bit) and was walking past Gaara-san's office, because it was the shortest route back to the dorms. His door was open carelessly, but neither of them seemed to notice.

"He's not happy," said Sakura, her voice tense. "How did you raise him? Knowing you, he probably didn't have a happy childhood. It's a wonder he turned out as well as he did."

I slowed down and stood beside the door. I knew it really wasn't any of my business, but my curiosity got the better of me. I could see a slow sneer come across his tanned features. "Well maybe if you hadn't just dumped him on me then _you_ could have done a better job at raising him." She started a retort, but it stuck in her throat, coming out as more of a choking sound. "Besides," he continued, "that _stupid_ boy, Destin, has changed him. Made him _happier_."

"Destin is not stupid," she said, rigidly. "He is brilliant and caring and loving. Exactly what Kei needs. Everything you are not. When I first met you, you were all of those things. That's why I fell in love with you. You are the one who has changed, Gaara. Just think about it." Then she turned and stormed out of his office–

–straight into me.

Both of us fell on the floor and Sakura let out a squeak. "Destin!"

"Aunt Sakura," I replied, bringing myself back to my feet and brushing the dirt off my white uniform. "You need to talk with Kei," I pleaded, grabbing her hand and helping her up. "Please, I can only do so much."

She shook her head, leaning back against the wall, closing her eyes. "He hates me."

"He doesn't hate you. He hates that you left him, but he doesn't hate _you_." After a long moment of silence, I said, "Come home over Spring Break. You can talk then. Please, he needs to talk with you." Ever since my little run-in with Sakura and Gaara-san at the end of my freshman year, Sakura and Ino have avoiding coming home; probably just to avoid the awkwardness of it all. And I'm pretty sure Sakura still hadn't talked with Katherine, which wasn't at all fair to her. Kei had pretty much been welcomed into our family and Katherine treated him as a grandson, which he was. Aurora and Rainey loved him, as did Kira. And my parents were just happy I was happy. There was that word again: happy. "Katherine needs to talk with you, too."

"You told her everything, didn't you?"

I nodded. "Of course. She wanted to hear it from you though."

At long last, Sakura agreed to visit over Spring Break. I thanked her, giving her a big hug before running off to my dorm. I decided it would be best not to tell Kei. He'd know soon enough.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

Kei and I walked through the elaborate front door to our new house. Well, my family had been living in it for over a year now, but we'd only stayed in it once before. It wasn't home. It just didn't have the same feel to it as our old house did. There was so much love woven into the walls of the other house. I've come to realize that I just don't deal well with change.

We were greeted by Aurora and Rainey, who were still getting used to walking, stumbling over and latching onto our legs. We shared a laugh and each picked up one of my siblings. Daddy stumbled into the room a moment later, clutching his chest in an attempt to regain his breath. He smiled upon seeing us. "There you are. Dinner's nearly ready. I see you've found our trouble-makers." He wrapped me in a hug, then pulled back, an eyebrow raised. "Something's different."

Kei and I exchanged a look and then a giggle. "I'll tell you later." There definitely was something different, but he didn't need to know what it was at the moment. All that mattered was that I hadn't had a nightmare ever since Kei and I… I blushed. Daddy gave me a look that said "You'd better tell me later."

We were just cleaning up the dishes after dinner when the doorbell rang. I quickly ran to answer it, thinking it to be Sakura and Ino. Instead Iruka-san and Kakashi-sensei greeted me. "Hey Destin," said Iruka. "Your Daddy invited us. I hope you don't mind."

"Nope," I replied, grinning. "I love it when you guys show up." Kakashi-sensei rolled his eyes, presumably thinking we were too sappy for his taste.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

"So what's different?" asked Daddy when we were by ourselves in the kitchen, finishing the cleanup, everyone else in the living room, playing with Aurora and Rainey.

My brow furrowed as I debated how much I should tell him. I decided on the truth. "I'm completely cured. I've moved past everything that happened to me."

Daddy appeared to be momentarily stunned. When he recovered, he asked, "How?" I blushed again, so much so that I didn't even have to answer: Daddy knew. "Y-you had s-s-sex?" he stuttered

"Yeah." My voice was surprisingly calm. "But I'm not that much younger than you were, Daddy. And thanks to that, I've been able to forget, or at least push aside, everything that man did to me, because now I know what it's like to have sex with someone I love."

After a couple long seconds, he finally said, "I'm happy." Then a thought occurred to him – the same thought which I had spent so much time pondering over: "What if you get pregnant? I don't know if that will get passed onto you…"

"I'll be fine," I said. "We use protection. I don't want to… have children at my age. I'm too young."

"And you have far too much potential to be a parent now." He was referring to my piano-playing. I wasn't sure though what I wanted to do with my life. I knew everyone expected me to go on and become a world-renowned musician like Dad, but I didn't know if I wanted to do that. On the other hand, I didn't want to end up like my parents, as much as I love them, just sitting around the house, raising children.

The future is so blurry.

"Do I have to put you two in separate beds tonight?" he asked.

"No," I replied. "You wouldn't be able to keep me away from him even if you tried."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

Sakura and Ino showed up the next day. When Kei made eye-contact with his mother, I found myself thankful that looks can't kill, because I'm sure Kei could have killed Sakura five times over.

"Kei," she said, stepping forward and placing her hand on his arm in a loving manner. "We need to talk." I saw her look over her son's shoulder to glance at Katherine. After a moment in which I'm sure they shared thoughts, Katherine nodded.

Kei allowed himself to be dragged out the front door and into the garden. I followed silently behind, just out of sight, but not out of hearing range – in case I was needed. I leaned my back against the wall of the house and kept my ears open. Even though I knew Kei would tell me later what happened between them, I couldn't help but be curious.

Neither of them said anything for a long time. I could sense the awkwardness of the situation. Then I heard Kei: "Why did you up and leave me with _him_?" There was a hint of bitterness and resentment in his voice – not that I could blame him. He had every right to feel that way.

"Oh, Kei, I was so young. Your father hurt me so badly I felt as though I had no other option but to leave." She was crying, not all out weeping, but there were tears.

"But then why couldn't you have taken me with you? I've hated every moment I ever spent with that man."

"I didn't feel as though I were emotionally ready to handle a child."

"But you thought dad _was_?" Kei nearly shrieked.

"I guess I just wasn't really thinking at all."

There was silence for a long time and then came the rather disconcerting sound of both of them crying. I hated hearing Kei cry and I had to fight to keep myself sitting. This was one time when I couldn't comfort Kei. It had to be Sakura. I slipped back into the house, ignoring the pain in my heart.

Kei and Sakura walked back in a few minutes later saying that they were going to go out and wouldn't be back until later. They exchanged a smile. I felt happy for them. Kei made sure to give me a hug and a kiss before they left.

I guess now we were all just one big, happy family.

"Are you okay?" asked Katherine, coming up beside me and placing her arm around my shoulders.

I nodded. "I'm more than okay. I mean, I guess I'm both happy and sad that Kei won't just have to rely on me anymore."

"He'll always rely on you, Destin," she said, a smile on her wizened face. "That's how it is with true love. Look at your parents: even after so man years together, they still reply on each other and they still love each other." I glanced to where my parents sat, playing patty-cake with the twins. All of them had huge grins on their faces, their love for one another almost visible, as always. In a way, I was jealous of them. When I was their age, I didn't have both of my parents. "Do you want children, Destin?"

I looked up at her, surprised. "I guess… just not now. Maybe not ever. I'm not so sure I'll make a good parent. I'm too… unstable and… out there. My mind just isn't like everyone else's."

"If anything, that means that you'll make a better parent than most, because you'll give you're children another way of looking at world. They won't become clones, like most other children out there."

"You think so?" I asked, my eyes watering up against my will. I quickly wiped the tears away. "I do want children. I guess in some ways, I really want that gene that Daddy has. But I'm just so scared. About everything. Nothing is clear to me anymore."

"Well hopefully," she said, pulling me tight against her in a hug, "you won't have to think about it for at least several more years."

"Yeah, I definitely don't want to think about it at least until after I graduate."

She looked my straight into the eyes and then she did something I've never seen her do before: she started crying. I'd never seen her cry before. But she wasn't crying because she was sad, rather the other way around: she was happy. "You've grown up so fast. I can't believe it's already been seventeen years since your Daddy and I met on the bus coming here." Looking back, it had been a long seventeen years. But it was all worth it, every single painful minute of it, because it gave me Dad and Kira and Rainey and Aurora and Katherine and Kei and I wouldn't trade any of them even if someone offered me the world.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

It was dark outside when Sakura and Kei walked up the steps to the house. I could see them coming through the large window where I sat, staring out at the falling rain. They were laughing and when they came inside they dripped water everywhere. I didn't move from my place in the dark, content just to listen to their happy voices. I was surprised they'd connected so easily. Then again… they'd both needed each other.

I leaned back in the rocking chair, the one from our old house, and pulled my blanket up to my nose, inhaling the rich, ancient smell. Apparently, this had been my favorite blanket when I was a little boy. Daddy laid it on my bed before we'd arrived the day before. He'd run across it when they packed up my things to move. I loved objects like this; they were memories in and of themselves.

"Des?" Kei's melodic voice sounded in my ears. I forced my eyes up. "What are you doing?"

"Listening," I replied honestly. He laughed and picked me up, sitting down in the rocking chair and placing me in his lap. I curled up into his arms. "What did you guys do?" I inquired.

He let out a long, _happy_ sigh. "We just went to dinner and then to the pool hall and we talked. A lot. It's weird, because I just assumed for such a long time that I didn't have a mother or if I did she was a completely horrible person. But she's not. She's really nice. Thank you, Destin."

"I didn't do anything," I said.

"Yes, you did. She said you were the one who urged her to talk with me."

Kei kissed me then and, right when it was beginning to get rather passionate, Dad walked in. He raised an eyebrow and then laughed. "If you are going to do that, at least go somewhere where no one can walk in on you."

"Oh come on," I teased, "it's not like I've never seen you and Daddy doing things together."

He just rolled his eyes, unfazed, and walked away, calling out, "I mean it!"

Kei smirked at me and then grabbed my hand, dragging me up the stairs to my bedroom, barely managing to keep his hands to himself.

Yes, I was definitely going to have a fun night.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Babblings: **Well there you have it. There are only going to be two chapters more and then an epilogue or one-shot sequel of sorts. Please review. I know you want to.


	14. Maybe There's A Loving God

**Lights** _**and**_ **Sounds**

_Chapter_ **Fourteen: M**_a_y**b**_e_ T**h**_e_r**e'**_s_ a **L**_o_v**i**_n_g **G**_o_d

**Babblings: **This is the last real chapter, but there will be an epilogue and then a bonus chapter (because I love you all so much). Oh and I'm sorry about bringing just a tad bit of 'God' into this story. I'm definitely not religious (obviously, or else I wouldn't be writing yaoi), but I love this song and I thought it tied in fairly well with the story.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**I'm trying to work things out. I'm trying to comprehend. Am I the chance result of some great accident? I hear a rhythm call me: the echo of a grand design. I spend each night in the backyard staring up at the stars and the moon. Maybe there's a loving God. Maybe I was made this way. Maybe this was made for me. **

_-Sara Groves_ "Maybe There's a Loving God"

I've never much been into religion, any religion, but I'm beginning to think that somewhere out there in the vast universe maybe there's a loving god who cares just a tiny bit about what happens in my life. For the longest time, I hated the idea of 'God', because of what happened to me so many years ago, but now I have Kei. And he's my angel. He says that I'm his angel, but he's so much more than I will ever be. He saved me from myself.

Kei made me a copy of the key to get to the roof for whenever he wasn't around, which, admittedly, wasn't very often. Tonight, though, he had a long choir practice and I found the air in our empty dorm room to be stifling. The heavy door clicked under my finger and I pushed through into the late autumn air. We were already two months through my senior year of high school. Pretty soon, I needed to make the final decisions on what to do with my life – and I still had no clue. I'd follow Kei wherever he decided to go and I know he'd do the same for me. Part of me wanted to jump right into a music career, move deep into the city, and do what I do best: play the piano. Another part of me told me I should go to college. And yet another part of me said I shouldn't really do anything.

The stars were bright above my head and the moon gleamed off every smooth surface. I clutched the blanket I'd brought with me and then spread it on the ground, laying back on it and staring up at the sky. I closed my eyes and listened, a habit I'd nearly forgotten how to do. I could hear crickets and the sound of wind blowing through the trees, sending the last of the colorful leaves to the ground. I could hear my own hear beating steadily in my chest. The noises all around me were forming a rhythm, a music all their own.

I couldn't help but wonder if it was a complete accident, or coincidence, that I was here, on this earth, trying to make sense of it all. I'd always been different, maybe not eccentric, but different. But maybe I was supposed to be this way. There was no one else in the wide world quite like me. I wonder if I would still be the same, reclusive boy I'd been for so many years if I hadn't met Kei. Would I have fallen for someone else? Would he have fallen for someone else? The thought made me shudder. No, Kei and I were soul mates, and you can only have one of those.

Kei is extraordinarily predictable at times. Such as right now when he thinks he's being sneaky and coming up behind me. His hands cover my eyes. "Hello, gorgeous," he says.

I take his hand in mine, entwining our fingers. "How was choir?"

"Long." Then he crawls on the blanket beside me, pulling me close in his warm embrace. Something presses against me through his coat pocket. When I reach to see what it is, he grabs my wrist. "Hold on," he says, getting on his knees and bringing me into a sitting position. "I have to do this the right way. I've been waiting a long time for the perfect moment."

"For what?" I ask, my heart speeding up in my chest.

"For this." He sticks his hand inside his jacket and pulls out a small black box. And suddenly, I know what's about to happen and I feel myself panicking. But then the panic fades away and is replaced my exhilaration. He opens the box, revealing the most gorgeous ring I've ever seen. It was green – the exact color of his eyes – and inside there was an engraving which read: _forever my love_. "Destin Uchiha, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

Tears sting my eyes, but they are tears of joy. I wipe them away with the back of my hand. "We… we're so young," I manage to say. "We haven't even graduated yet."

Then it's his turn to panic. "You- you mean you don't want to? I was… sure…"

I silenced him by leaning forward and deliberately pressing my lips against his. "Don't be silly. I love you. Of course I'll marry you. You're the only one for me."

He throws his arms around my neck and nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck. "God, Destin. I love you so much. Thank you. Thank you. I promise you won't regret it."

When he finally pulled himself together, he slipped the emerald ring onto my finger. It was a perfect fit.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

One night in mid-February, Kei and I were making love as per usual. But something was different. When he came, I could actually _feel_ the liquid rushing into my body.

"Shit," said Kei. I knew it was bad because Kei hardly ever swore.

"Wha- What happened?" I asked, my voice quivering.

"The condom broke."

"WHAT?" I shrieked, pushing him away from me. I tried to tell myself that this was bound to happen, that this was neither of our faults, but all I could think about was that _I could get pregnant from this_. I didn't want to be a parent. I'd be a horrible parent.

"Baby," said Kei, his voice calm. "Baby, it's okay." He grabbed me rather roughly and brought me against his chest in spite of my screaming protests. I was being irrational and I knew it, but I couldn't help it.

"No!" I screamed. "It's not." I wrenched myself from his grasp and yanked on some clothes. Then I ran out the door and down to the piano in the practice room – the only entity I could think to turn to. Immediately, I started playing. I have no idea how long I was there, hours and hours and hours probably, because when I finally came back to full consciousness the sun was beginning to peak over the horizon. Kei never came looking for me. I slumped against the piano, my body hitting a bunch of keys at once, making a horrible out-of-tune noise. "Shit," I said, finding it to be the only word which properly described my predicament. I tried to reason with myself. People hardly ever got pregnant the first time. But my Daddy got pregnant after just one time.

"Des." I heard the door to the practice room open, revealing Kei, who looked as though he'd seen a ghost and had hardly slept at all.

"Yeah," I replied, feeling slightly ashamed of myself.

He came and sat beside me on the bench. "Sorry I didn't run after you. I figured you'd need time to think."

For a long time, I didn't say anything. Then, I said in a whisper, "What if we have a kid, Kei?"

"Is that such a bad thing?" he retorted, taking my chin in his strong hand and forcing me to look in his eyes. "Does that thought disgust you so badly?"

I averted my eyes, looking out the window on the field separating the dorms from the school. "I'm not fit to be a parent. I'm barely a legal adult. And I'm just so… not here all the time. I'm weird. I'm a freak. I was born from a man and if we have a child that child will be just as much a freak as I am." I don't know what compelled me to say those hurtful words. Truthfully, it'd never bothered me. Until now.

"Is that what you really think?" Kei asked, fuming, his voice raising. I shivered. He'd never raised his voice at me before. "You think that _you're_ a freak? You think that any baby we conceive will be a freak, Destin? How could you _say_ something like that?" He stood up, angrily. "You know what? Maybe you aren't the same person I thought you were. Maybe you've been deceiving me for the past three and a half years."

I shook my head, violently, unable to say anything because of the sobs that suddenly wracked my body. I brought my knees up to my chest and cried, because I didn't know if I was losing Kei because of something this stupid. My engagement ring glinted in the rising sun.

But his aura changed drastically in a matter of seconds. He went from being really angry to being extremely worried. Then I felt his strong arms wrap around me. "I'm-m s-sorry," I whimpered. "I-I didn't m-mean i-it. I didn't mean it. P-please, K-kei, d-don't leave me. P-please. You p-promised. I l-love you. D-don't l-leave."

He shook his head, his eyes leaking solemn tears. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things."

We stayed there for a long time, in silence, clinging to each other, until long past when we should have gone to class.

"Come on," he said at long last, picking me up into his arms and carrying my limp body all the way up the stairs. We tumbled into the bed, our lack of sleep catching up with us.

"Kei," I whispered through the last of my tears, clutching him like my life depended on it. "Kei, I… I really do want to have a baby with you." But I don't know if he heard me or not, because I was asleep before I could say another word.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

A couple weeks later, I started getting sick to my stomach in the mornings but was fine by afternoon. At first I dismissed it as some kind of stomach bug, but then I recognized the symptoms: morning sickness. I tried to hide it from Kei. We hadn't talked about anything of the sort since our big fight and I didn't want to risk losing him if I wasn't really pregnant. Kei noticed, though. I never could hide anything from him for long.

One morning as I was retching into the toilet, I felt him come up beside me and pull my hair from my face, calmly helping me. When I had finished, he said, "You are, aren't you?"

I nodded my head, tears clouding my vision. "I think so… We'll have to check with Hinata when… we go back for Spring Break in a week."

"It's really okay, baby," he said, bringing me into a hug. "We'll be okay."

I really hoped he was right because I was scared out of my mind.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

The first thing I did when we arrived home was call Hinata. I told her to keep it a secret from my parents for now – until we were sure. We found ourselves at her front door fifteen minutes later. I clutched Kei's hand and he squeezed mine equally as hard in return.

"Hello, boys," Hinata greeted, welcoming us inside her house. She led us down the stairs and into her make-shift clinic. "What can I do for you?"

Kei answered before I had the chance to. "We think… Destin may be pregnant."

The dark-haired woman raised an eyebrow, but motioned for me to come over to her examination table. I closed my eyes throughout most of what she did. She performed several different procedures, but came to one conclusion: I was pregnant.

Despite myself, I found me calling myself a freak in my own mind. But then I looked up into Kei's _beautiful_ green eyes and I knew everything would be okay. The baby wouldn't be born until after we graduated, so everything should be fine there. But what about my family? I couldn't help but think that they'd be disappointed in me.

In retrospect, I needn't have worried. We broke the news to them that same night at dinner. In fact, somehow, Katherine already knew. "I think Kei and Destin have something to tell us," she said, casually scooping a small pile of mashed potatoes on each of the twin's plates.

I felt the eyes of my whole family upon me and I couldn't help but blush. "We're – I'm… pregnant," I finally managed to get out.

For a long, tense, moment, there was complete quiet and then my Dad exploded. "WHAT?" I couldn't help but think he sounded nearly exactly like me the night this whole thing had started. Daddy placed a calming hand on his shoulder, shaking his head and then smiled at me – the only approval I needed.

Kira let out a boyish squeal of delight from the chair next to me. "I'm getting a new sibling?" He wrapped an arm around my neck and ruffled my hair. Even though he was only twelve he was already nearly my size and he had more than a few inches left to grow.

"Technically, you'll be an uncle," said Kei, a brilliant smile on his face. We were both growing used to the idea now. Maybe everything would turn out alright.

Aurora and Rainey were too young still to really understand, but they let out two simultaneous yells of joy, which caused me to burst out laughing. Yes, everything would be all right.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

Some time later that night, I found myself being leeched upon by my two youngest siblings. I led them over to the couch and lifted them into my lap. The both snuggled up against me and I couldn't help but smile.

"You should do that more often." I looked up and met eyes with Kira.

"What?" I asked, watching him as he sat on the couch beside me.

"Smile," he said. "I like your smile. It's beautiful. I just… don't ever remember you smiling when you lived here." He seemed sad and I can't say I blame him. He probably doesn't have very good memories of me. "Kei is good for you," he said after a couple seconds. "I like him."

I pulled him into a hug, grinning from ear to ear, careful not to squish the squirming toddlers in my lap.

"Brother!" Aurora squealed.

"Big brother!" cried Rainey, apparently in an attempt at showing off.

"Yes," said Kira, playfully tickling the two in the sides which sent them off into a fit of giggles. "This is your other big brother, Destin."

"KIRA!" they screamed at the same time.

Then, in an uncanny sneak attack, I tickled Kira mercilessly, resulting in hysterics from the twins. And then Kira noticed. He stopped squirming and smirked at me. "Nice ring." I blushed and pulled my hand away. But Kira just shook his head and said, "I'm happy."

"Thank you," I said.

"But just so you know," he said, a smirk on his face, "if he ever hurts you, I'll kick his ass."

"Kira!" I yelled. "Language! Where did you hear that?"

He shrugged innocently. "Daddy always uses that word in the mornings after he and Dad stay up all night making loud noises."

I coughed. The twins giggled some more.

Ah, I love my family.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Babblings**: I just loved writing that last scene. I felt like I needed a sibling bonding moment if you know what I mean. Also, I felt like I needed to make Destin and Kei get into a fight, because every good couple needs to have a good fight every once in awhile. I hope it wasn't too painful.

Review and perhaps I will give you cookies.


	15. Epilogue: The Beautiful

**Lights** _**and**_ **Sounds**

**Epilogue** **T**_h_e **B**_e_a**u**_t_i**f**_u_l

**Babblings: **First off, I'd like to say thank you to all my wonderful reviewers for sticking with this series right up until the end. I don't know what I'd do without you. Secondly, I haven't completely dismissed the idea of writing at least one more story about them (probably dealing with Kira), but I'll be taking a break to work on my other stories. Please, _please_ check those ones out too. So, without further ado, here is the epilogue.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Welcome to the beautiful. The beautiful. The beautiful.**

_-Five for Fighting_"The Beautiful"

Graduation Day

"Fellow students, teachers, faculty, parents, siblings, grandparents, extended family, friends, and anyone who does not come under any of these categories… welcome. None of us could have made it to this day without you." There was a general applause in the audience and I couldn't help but let a smile pass over my face.

It was a warm, brilliantly sunny day in late May – graduation day. Finally, it had come. I scanned the students in front of me and spotted Kei smiling up at me. All of my other friends were nearby, but Kei was the only one I wanted to share this moment with. Yes, I had to give the graduation speech. Ask Kei: I spent days and days pouring over it, freaking out. I know it's not perfect, but then again, I've never been good at public speeches. For a brief moment, I glanced at my whole family, sitting further back, looking as though this were the happiest day of their lives.

"Finally, we made it," I continued. "It took us four years, and trust me when I say that sometimes I thought I wouldn't last another day. But I did. And so did you. Was it worth it? You bet it was. I wouldn't give up these four years for anything. When we get out into the real world, that is adult life, I'll bet we'll all be wishing we were back here within the safe walls of Konoha Academy." A burst of laughter from the crowd washed over me.

"Some of you may remember me when I first started here, I was scared, intimidated, and hardly spoke and never smiled at all. Now look at me: I'm standing in front of you, giving a speech which I never imagined myself giving and laughing right along with you. I know all of you have changed just as much, even if it's not as visible. High school changes people, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. I think it's safe to say, though, that none of us will ever forget it.

"Joy, pain, love, laughter, guilt, shame, hate, sadness, kindness, gentleness, vengeance. I think all of us have experienced all of these emotions in our high school years. High school is a roller-coaster of emotions. You go from low to high, from high to low, and then repeat it all over again. But I know I at least wouldn't change it for the world.

"Look around you. The sun is shining, the leaves are green, the sky is blue, everything is alive, breathing, living. It is picturesque and yet you can't capture a moment like this with a camera. It doesn't hold the emotion. So close your eyes. Stop and listen, breathe in the air around you and commit this moment to your memory. After all, graduation from high school only happens once in a lifetime and you don't want to forget it."

I closed my own eyes, taking in the moment. Then I opened them again before most everyone else did and I once again captures gazes with Kei. I grinned and subconsciously placed a hand on my barely-showing stomach. Already I could feel the child in there, becoming part of me and yet at the same time already choosing part of its identity. The child was a symbol of our love for each other, never-ending and overflowing, along with the ring upon my finger. I loved the baby with all of my heart.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I said softly into the microphone, jolting everyone back to reality. The word felt like honey on my tongue. I savored it before I continued. "It's amazing what we see when we just open our ears and listen. Can you hear the birds singing in the trees? Can you hear the grass waving in the breeze? If there's one piece of advice I can give you, it's this: listen. It's so simple and yet we find it so hard to do. So listen. Just listen to your surroundings.

"And remember this: always believe in second chances."

_THE END_

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Babblings: **I was going to write more, but I thought this was the best place to end this story. Any more would have just distracted from the point I was trying to get across in Destin's speech. So, as always, tell me what you think and perhaps what I should write about if I decide to write more about the Uchiha family.

Loves as always,

Light Catastrophe


	16. Bonus Chapter One: SasuNaru

**Lights** _**and**_ **Sounds**

**Bonus **_Chapter _One

**Babblings: **Just because I love you all so much (and because you asked for it), I've decide to give you two bonus chapters – one with Sasuke and Naruto and the other with Destin and Kei. Here's the first one. I hope you enjoy.

SasukexNaruto

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

"Hey, Sasuke?" whispered the small blonde, hopping into bed and curling in beside his husband.

"Hmm?" mumbled the stoic dark-haired man.

"I just feel like I'm too young to be a grandparent," Naruto said. "I mean, I haven't even reached what most people consider middle age. Technically, I could still have children."

"Well," replied Sasuke, "you were a young mommy and Destin's going to be a young mom, too, so you're just going to be a young grandmother."

Naruto punched Sasuke halfheartedly in the arm. "Don't say it like that. I'm going to be a grand_father_. Besides, when you say it like that it _does_ make me sound old."

"Love, I'm pretty sure you'll never get old. You don't look that much different from when I first met you nineteen years ago."

Suddenly, they heard a loud moaning coming from the bedroom next door and then someone screaming, "Kei! Kei! Oh, god!"

Naruto blushed and huddled down deeper under the covers. "Please say I don't sound like that when we… make love…"

Sasuke smirked. "Actually, I do believe you have less control over yourself than he does, but I like it that way. I love the way you scream my name." He leaned in and kissed his long-time lover chastely on the lips. "In fact, I'm pretty sure I'd like to hear you scream right now," he added, nipping Naruto's neck and making him moan with need.

"But they'll hear," he whispered.

"Consider it payback," Sasuke said, a grin present on his handsome features.

Naruto reached up and stroked Sasuke's cheek, then pulling him down so that their bodies were flush against each other, their pajama pants the only items separating them. "Fine. Just don't tease me. You know I don't like that."

Sasuke nodded, but that damn smirk remained on his face as he slid Naruto's pajamas down his narrow hips, his finger lightly touching the blonde's entrance. Then, with a force of strength Naruto didn't know he had, he flipped them so that he was on top, looking down as his shocked husband. "We had sex earlier. I don't need to be stretched," he said and this time it was his turn to smirk. "I'm in the mood for something different."

The shocked look disappeared from Sasuke's face as he decided that he liked the idea of doing something different – although he didn't like the idea of having sex without stretching his blonde lover first. Then soft lips covered his own, and, for once, he allowed Naruto to take control of their adventures. Nimble fingers pulled off his pants and flung them to some unknown corner of the room. Naruto continued to explore Sasuke's body using his lips and fingers, leaving marks all over the place. Sasuke quickly adapted to the feeling of being worshipped in every way possible, losing himself in the wonderful sensations his husband was giving him.

He let out a moan when he suddenly felt his erection being wrapped in a warm mouth. He looked down and made eye-contact with Naruto who grinned brightly up at him. It was rather an erotic sight and Sasuke felt himself growing more and more turned on. Naruto knew what he was doing, too. But before he came, Naruto pulled away, trail of saliva connecting his mouth to Sasuke's erection. He then climbed up on Sasuke, straddling his hips and lowered himself onto Sasuke, impaling himself. They both let out a loud, simultaneous moan.

Naruto whimpered a bit, not used to being taken without having been stretched first. Now he knew why Sasuke was always so careful about it. He was _huge_. But Naruto was determined. He sat all the way down, loving the feeling of being completely impaled. Slowly but surely, he developed a sort of rhythm. When he began to lose energy, Sasuke sat up and pulled him into his lap, helping the blonde.

Finally, after quite some time, Naruto came all over Sasuke's chest, screaming loudly – just the way Sasuke wanted it. A few moments later, Sasuke came deep inside his husband. They both fell over onto the bed, their breathing labored. Naruto curled up on top of Sasuke and let out a contented sigh.

"Well, that was definitely different," Sasuke commented after awhile. The noises next door had quieted down, too. He hoped they were just as embarrassed about listening to Sasuke and Naruto have sex as Naruto had been earlier.

"Yeah," yawned Naruto. "It definitely was."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

At breakfast the next morning, both Kei and Destin looked as though they'd gotten no sleep. Sasuke and Naruto shared a knowing look. "How'd you sleep?" asked Sasuke, smirking.

His son glared at him and fell heavily into a chair. He was in his second trimester and was definitely beginning to look and act the part, his belly already quite swollen. Kei fell into the chair next to him. "We would have slept better if someone could have kept a bit quieter," Destin mumbled, taking a bite of toast.

Naruto laughed. "Ah, revenge is sweet, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is, love. Indeed it is."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Babblings: **-coughs- well, you can blame the little bunnies hopping around in my head for that little lemon. I just couldn't bring myself to write the same old sex scene that I always write so this is what happened.

Well there you have it. One more bonus chapter and then this story is finished, caput. Ha. Anywho, since I went to the trouble of writing this you should leave a review. Thanks a bunch!


	17. Bonus Chapter Two: KeiXDestin

**Lights** _**and**_ **Sounds**

**Bonus** _Chapter_ Two

**Babblings: **Here's your second bonus chapter. Basically it just shows different snippets of Destin's pregnancy. It was a joy to write. I just love Destin and Kei.

Also… I can't believe how many of you are asking me to write another story with Kira. Perhaps… _maybe_ if you _promise_ to review I'll give you what you asked for.

**KeiXDestin**

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

"Kei, don't you think we've already christened this room enough?" Destin asked, putting his hands out in front of him to block Kei. It was their first day home after graduation and he just wasn't in the mood. Even though his morning sickness was finally subsiding, he currently found himself under an onslaught of hormones. Some days they made him exceedingly horny and other days, like today, they just made him grumpy. This whole pregnancy thing was making him act, well, very un-Destin-like.

"Yeah, Des," replied Kei, unfazed. He'd already started to get used to his lover's roller coaster of emotions. "But we're going to be here for at least six months this time, so it's different." They'd decided to move back home for the remainder of Destin's pregnancy before getting married and going out and starting their new lives – one of the main reasons being that Hinata lived here and she'd gone through this with Naruto before.

"It's not different," Destin glared, his hands on his hips. "There's nothing different about sex with you. We do it the same way every single time and just for once I'd like to go to sleep without my ass hurting, thank you very much."

"Well," said Kei, leaning in to kiss his protesting lover, "I had several new ideas if you're willing to try them…" As his voice trailed off, he gently pushed Destin back onto the bed, lifting up his shirt, fingers tracing across the slight baby-belly forming there.

Destin arched into his touch, all stubborn thoughts leaving his mind as Kei felt his overly-sensitive body. "Oh, god, Kei… more," he panted.

The larger boy grinned. "Your wish is my command, princess."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

Destin sat on the floor in the middle of his room, papers spewed all around him. He looked up when the door opened and an amused-looking Kei walked in.

"Don't step on anything," Destin said softly, biting his bottom lip and writing another note on a piece of paper. He was having on of his fairly normal days today. The hormones seemed to have backed of a little.

"What are you doing?" Kei asked, leaning over his small lover.

Destin sighed. "I'm four and a half months pregnant. It hurts to move. I'm bored. So I decided that I should write some music and maybe we can get it published when we go back to the city, you know, just to help us get started. I don't want to have to rely on my dad for money. I'm sure someone will buy it."

"Destin," Kei laughed, "I'm pretty sure that every company out there will tackle you for your work once they learn that you're composing. I mean, after all, there are only so many musical geniuses in the world. Plus, you _are_ the son of one of the most well-known pianists in the entire world." He leaned down and picked up a few of the papers and then looked back down at Destin, astounded. "You're writing an entire symphony," he gasped.

The small, pregnant boy nodded and scribbled a few more notes. "It's not that hard if you know what key every instrument is in and what each note sounds like."

Kei gaped at him. Some things never ceased to amaze him. "That's easy for you to say. You aren't even near your piano. How do you know it will all fit together?"

Destin grinned. "I'll bet you that it'll all work out _beautifully_."

The tall blonde shook his head, hands raised in the raise. "No way. I don't bet with smart people."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

Destin let out an exasperated moan in the darkness. "They fuck more than bunnies in the spring time." Kei had to bite back a laugh. His small lover hardly ever cussed before he'd become pregnant and now when it happened, which was quite a bit, he always found it funny. Besides, their situation _was_ kind of funny. Here they were, lying in bed, hours after their own lovemaking had ended, listening to Destin's parents go at it in the room next door. Yes, at the moment it seemed rather comically although he knew it wouldn't be too funny in the morning when Destin woke up grumpy from a night of no sleeping.

"Maybe we could suggest a room change," Kei suggested, kissing the top of his pouting lover's head.

"But that would mean moving all our stuff," Destin frowned, shifting uncomfortably on the bed. "Ugh, your child is kicking at my bladder again." Whenever he was in a bad mood, the baby suddenly became Kei's child. Destin, with quite a bit of difficulty, managed to roll off the bed and waddle to the bathroom. A few minutes later the small boy angrily switched on the lights to the bedroom, making Kei blink rapidly at the sudden brightness.

"What's wrong?"

"You did this to me," Destin hissed. "This is all your fault. If it weren't you I wouldn't be in this position." When Kei's eyes slowly came into focus, he took in the sight of his young fiancé. Even though he was only slightly more than five months he already appeared huge because of his tiny frame. But he was beautiful in a way Kei had never seen him before. "I have to go to the bathroom every five minutes and I get all these weird cravings and I look like a goddamn whale. AND I still have four more months of growing to do. I hate you."

Kei couldn't help but smile as he stood up and took the small boy into his arms. "Des, I love the way you look. In fact, I think it makes you look even more edible than you usually do."

Destin scowled up at the taller boy. "You aren't getting out of this by all your sweet talk. I hate you for doing this to me," he reiterated.

"No, you don't," said Kei, determined. "Once you see our child, you won't hate me."

"Good. That means I still have four more months of hating you."

"_Oh, God! Harder, Sasuke!"_

Destin directed a growl toward the wall that joined his bedroom with his parents'. "And I hate them. They aren't making it any bet – oh!" His voice rose at the end of his sentence and his hands immediately went to his stomach. "Kei, Kei! Put your hand here. The baby's kicking." He pulled Kei's large hand so it was resting on his stomach, feeling the life moving around inside.

"Wow," whispered Kei when the baby had finally calmed down again.

"You wouldn't be saying that if you were the one getting his insides impaled," Destin said, but all the malice was gone from his voice. He smiled a bit and allowed Kei to drag him back to bed. It seemed Sasuke and Naruto had finally had enough. All was quiet as they snuggled under the covers together. "I still hate you."

"I know," Kei laughed. "I love you, too."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

Destin was once again writing music. This time, he was so entranced by his work he didn't notice Kei come in and stare at him. After some time, Kei broke him from his trance-like state. "I noticed you have a part for violin. Could I try it? You know… just to see if it 'works out'?" he teased.

The dark-haired boy looked up at him, a bit startled to find him standing there. Then he nodded and dug around in the papers, handing him a part. "Here. It's the most recent piece."

Now it was Kei's turn to look startled. "How many have you written so far?"

Destin grinned. "Three."

Okay, musical geniuses were beyond Kei's understanding. But he did play the violin and he was eager to see how well Destin's composing skills were. He pulled out his violin, taking a few minutes to tune it before setting the music in a place where he could see it well and playing the first few lines.

Even before he got far into the song, he knew Destin had composed it perfectly, no misplaced notes, no wrong rhythms. And it was the most beautiful and intense piece he'd ever played. When he reached the end, he found himself almost disappointed it was over. Destin stared up at him intently, a small grin on his face. "I told you it'd work out."

Kei just nodded, a little stunned. Then, "Can I play the others?"

"Of course," he replied and handed Kei the other two from where he'd set them aside, as though knowing Kei would want to play through them.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

Destin lay on the couch, his large belly sticking up into the air, a rather disgruntled look on his face.

"Hey, bro," Kira chirped, skipping into the room, a smirk on his face.

"Do you mind helping me up?" Destin asked, a little timidly. He'd fallen asleep on the couch and when he'd woken up he'd found that… well… he couldn't get up. He was seven months along, but looked like he was ready to give birth at any moment, which was definitely awkward. And now he had a very pronounced waddle – something he was infinitely embarrassed about. "Please," he begged. "I can't move."

Kira laughed. "I suppose." He hopped over to Destin and grabbed his hand, helping him into an upright position. Kira's hands lingered over his belly, as if taking it all in. "Wow," he said after another moment or two. "Des, you never cease to amaze me."

Destin grinned. "I know."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

Destin was sitting in the living room, once again on the couch. Naruto sat next to him. "Daddy," Destin said, in a whisper, "I'm scared." He was already nine months into the pregnancy and ready to give birth at any time. "How did you do it?"

Naruto smiled at him. "Just remember that when it's all over you'll be able to hold your child in your arms and you know then that every ounce of your pain was worth it and than maybe you'd be willing to do it all over again. Besides, you have Kei and all of us to help you through it. It's much easier that way. I only had Katherine and Sakura."

"Yeah," said Destin, closing his eyes and placing his hands on his stomach, feeling the fluttering of his child there. It would be worth it.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

It was three o'clock in the morning when the contractions started. Destin didn't wake Kei up for quite some time, though. Hinata said it would be quite some time before anything real happened. It was six before they began getting really painful and he woke Kei up.

"Kei," he said, shaking him in between contractions. "Kei, the baby's coming."

_That_ woke him up. He took Destin's hand. "How long has this been happening?"

"About three hours."

Kei glared at Destin for not telling him immediately, but got up and phoned Hinata. Even as he did so, Destin's water broke.

Most everything was a blur for Destin after that. They had him on so many drugs, he couldn't see clearly, but he still felt pain and often times he cursed Kei for putting him in this position. This went on for hours and hours until Destin had no strength left in his body.

"Destin, honey, you've got to push," demanded Hinata. "You're almost there. I promise it'll be this time or the next." Kei looked worriedly down at his small lover and wished he could take all the pain away, but he knew he couldn't. Destin squeezed his hand and pushed with all his might, determined to get the baby from his body.

Then, there was a sudden crying. Both Destin and Kei cried tears of joy as Hinata handed them a large, beautiful baby boy. Destin looked at Kei. "It's your genes that made him so big and made me look like a whale."

Kei just laughed and kissed their first-born on the forehead, seeing just a hint of dark hair. "I love you," he said to both of them. Destin grinned happily. He finally had a family.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Babblings: **Yay! Another bonus chapter! Please tell me what you think of it!

Sorry to say that this is the real end to this story. I hope you have enjoyed the journey as much as I have.


	18. Author's Note

Dearest Readers,

Dearest Readers,

If you enjoyed this story, please go read its companion piece I just posted. It's called _Far and Away_ and I'm pretty sure you'll like it as much as you liked this one. It's about Kira, as requested. So please, you promised to review (right?). Go read it! XP

-Light Catastrophe


End file.
